Powerless
by jerikataryn
Summary: It had been over a year since Beth Greene had taken a razor to her wrist. But it had all changed that night. Self-harm had become her nightly routine – her demons coming out to play again. She didn't want to die, but she couldn't handle the pain alone. The razor was her best friend. But someone came and helped stitch her back together again. Bethyl. Co-written with Riain. ON HIATUS
1. Welcome To The Prison

**So I wasn't really satisfied with where my original story line was going. So I decided to rewrite it, and Riain was kind enough to offer me her help, so I have rewritten this story with her. Thank her, cause I was going to delete this! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the rewrite!**

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The aged armored yellow school bus jostled up the gravel road leading to the prison. The passengers were of all ages, pockets of kids, most of them adults and teenagers – all coming from Woodbury. They had been living with the Governor until he went off the deep end, killing residents after the dismal assault on the prison. Beth and Carl watched the bus approach from behind the fence, shoulders brushing against each other.

"Are we sure about this?" Beth asked, bouncing Judith up and down on her hip. "I mean, they lived with the Governor," she said, repulsion taking place in her face. Anything that had to do with the Governor was a toxic subject with her, especially with the man terrorizing Maggie and attacking the prison.

Carl nodded, watching Carol push the fence back for the bus; Daryl leading the caravan on his motorcycle, and cars to come through. "We should probably get down there," he said, emotionless. "Should give them a warm welcome." Beth looked after Carl as he started to walk away. She couldn't help but think he was being sarcastic, a seemingly normal habit beginning to be associated with Carl as of late. Beth sensed a darkness gripping his heart since he took his mother's life. Carl was just not the same anymore, but who was in this hell they now lived in? She was sure that as much as she tried to hold onto her previous life, her humanity, it was slowly slipping through her fingers.

Beth jogged to catch up with Carl, wanting to stay by his side as the passengers filed out of the bus. They all shielded their eyes from the blazing hot Georgia sun, the interior of the bus dark from the metal plating on the one side. Most of them wore nice clothing: dresses, collared shirts and slacks; not the dingy, patched, threading clothes that most of their group wore. Beth was envious of them; it looked as if they had almost escaped the whole apocalypse boarded up in that little town just miles from the prison. That would make it harder on them to adjust to life inside the prison, not to mention life outside the strength of the walls. They had been shielded for the most part from the horrors outside the prison walls, which would make them a dangerous casualty when the threat reappeared.

But she wasn't quick to forget that they had lived within the same walls as the Governor, and he was worse than the walkers they had to deal with. The walkers had a singular mass purpose: to feed. The walkers were predictable. The Governor was a wild card; while his main purpose was to kill Michonne for killing Penny and taking his eye, he had other ideals driving him to purpose. The new arrivals pooled around the bus, waiting for directions from Rick, Daryl, Hershel and Glenn. Rick sidled up to Carl, dropping to his knees and hugging him. Carl's hat went askew from the embrace, earning a giggle from Judith.

Beth held her finger out to the toddler, the baby wrapping her chubby fingers around Beth's. Once Rick pulled back from Carl and readjusted his son's hat, he moved onto Beth. Well, rather Judith than Beth. She offered him his daughter and took her into his arms. He planted a kiss on her forehead before handing her back to Beth. Beth wasn't always happy with how little time Rick actually spent with his daughter, but she understood that he had to lead the group and keep them safe. Even during the apocalypse, her father had made time for both of his daughters, giving them one on one attention. But Hershel was a different kind of father, his mental state wasn't in question, and he dealt with the world around him differently than Rick.

As long as Rick continued to show even this small bit of love for Judith, Beth didn't have a problem with helping raise the little girl. Rick rejoined Daryl, Glenn and Hershel who were in the middle of a small discussion. They were probably deciding on what to do with the Woodbury survivors. After a few moments passed by, Rick addressed the group. Beth had tuned out the lecture he was giving, turning her attention to the baby in her arms.

Judith was starting to show features that looked more and more like Lori as they days went by. Maybe that was why Rick couldn't spend more than a few moments with Judith. Maybe she reminded him too much of his deceased wife, and Beth could understand that. It had to be hard having a living reminder of someone you once loved that was now gone. Beth dabbed at Judith's nose, giggles radiating out of her. It was a game Beth liked to play with Judith, hearing the little girl's giggles always made Beth feel better.

Carol had made her way back up to where the bus had parked. She wiped her brow free of sweat as she stood next to Beth. "Are we sure this is safe?" Beth whispered to Carol, not satisfied with the answer that Carl had given her. Carol sighed, pinching Judith's cheeks before answering Beth's question. Carol and Beth shared the duties of raising Judith, with Beth taking over the bulk of it when Carol had other chores to do to keep the group going.

"We have strength in numbers," the older woman replied. "Right now, we have to trust them. I don't really think they knew what the Governor was up to, and we have to give them the chance to earn our trust." Beth had agreed with what Carol said. The way she looked at it; it was exactly the situation back at the farm with Rick's group and her father, trust had to be earned on both sides. It was a lucky thing how that turned out, even with the loss of her home.

She remembered Rick running through the field; Carl cradled in his arms, blood soaking through both of their shirts. She was terrified when her father asked if he was bit; she couldn't imagine the pain of seeing a family member turned into one of those things, much less the heartbreak of having to kill one of your family members because they turned. They were intending on not staying long, but they had ended up staying for a number of weeks before the herd tore through the farm. Now Beth couldn't think of how it would be if they hadn't; she might not be alive, or her family. But on the flip side of that, they might still be at the farm, at home surviving. Beth had to remind herself that everything in life happens for a reason; and there was no going back, only forward. She tried to keep her mind open as she gazed at the Woodbury survivors.

"There's some kids your age," Carol nudged her shoulder. "Might be nice having them around."

Beth shrugged a shoulder; it would be nice to socialize with kids around her age. Then again, it would remind her of Jimmy, or her classmates that were most likely dead. She tried to stay positive, coming into this situation with an open mind. "Carl, there's some kids, too," Beth said, turning to her other side.

He nodded once again. "I'm not a kid," he said, looking up at her with a squint. She had forgotten that he didn't like to be classified as a child. But, with some of the things he had to see or do, he did have to grow up fast. He was fourteen, but was mature way beyond that age. Everyone seemed to age quicker with the world the way it was.

Beth turned her attention back to the new arrivals. Rick was wrapping up his speech; a few of the older survivors were nodding their heads in agreement. Rick clasped his hands together and led the way up to the prison with Daryl in tow. Daryl was Rick's second in command, and had been since Shane went crazy, and Rick visited crazy town. Anything Daryl said was the same as an order from Rick. Like always, Daryl's crossbow was strung over one shoulder as he walked into their home. That crossbow was an extension of him; powerful, silent, and deadly.

She gazed after them as they led the Woodbury survivors into the prison. Glenn stayed behind, walking over to join Carol, Beth and Carl. "Where's Maggie and Michonne?" Carol asked. Glenn cast his eyes back to the car, they followed his gaze.

Michonne was in the passenger seat, Maggie in the driver's seat. "It was Andrea. She didn't make it," Glenn said, rubbing at his neck. Beth had noticed he did that more when he was nervous or stressed out. "Michonne's taking it hard." They averted their stares, wanting to give her mourning some privacy.

"Why don't we go inside? They're taking them to D block, we can help them settle in," Glenn suggested. Carol and Beth agreed; Carl eventually followed after his stubbornness leached away. The four of them walked into D block amidst a deafening level of chaos. Kids ran up and down the catwalks laughing and calling out to each other, sounding like a stampede; adults were moving things into cells to start settling in, and the small group of teenagers were chatting amongst each other at the tables.

Daryl and Rick were talking at the base of the steps. "I'll take the baby for awhile, Beth, why don't you two go make friends with the other teens?" Carol prompted, pulling Judith from Beth's grasp; Judith protested for a moment until she realized who she was snuggled against. The baby cooed and grabbed at Carol's shirt, her own unique sign for being hungry. Carol walked off, singing a song to Judith as they made for the kitchen.

Beth looked to Carl and raised her brows, what would it hurt to try and make friends with the new kids? He sighed, stalking off towards the small group of Woodbury teens. Beth was on his heels, not sure of what he was going to say to them. Carl had a problem with having a filter these days, one word the wrong way could set him off. The boy was angry inside, having no productive way of venting that anger could be his destruction.

"Not much of a place this is, it's got blood everywhere," one of the boys in the group was saying to his buddies, nervous laughter bubbled out of the group of girls standing around him. It seemed that at one point in time this guy might have been the star quarterback and the girls were his groupies, Beth chuckled to herself. Oh would they have a rude awakening in store for them!

"What are you even saying?" Carl asked. "We're giving you a place to stay. Somewhere safe and you want to complain that there's a little blood on the walls?" He asked, pushing his way past two girls and up to the boy who had said the offending statement. Beth curled her fingers over Carl's shoulder; she was hoping that by touch she could rein Carl in from doing something that would cause serious consequences, for not only him but the group as a whole

The boy laughed, looking around to his peers. He was a good foot plus taller than Carl and more muscular, like he had grown up working on a farm. Beth realized her earlier assumption of him was probably true; this guy would have been the star quarterback if he went to her high school. Dark, shaggy hair brushed over his forehead, midnight brown eyes were trained on Carl, piercing right through the smaller boy.

"Yeah, you could have at least cleaned it up for us, these girls deserve something nicer than this." he sneered; earning more laughs from his friends and titters from the girls swarmed around him.

Carl scoffed; shaking his head, his fist balling at his side. Beth tightened her grip on her almost brother, waiting for him to explode at the newcomer. "If you don't like it, you can leave," he suggested coolly. His sudden calmness scared Beth; it was completely out of character for Carl as of late. "Try your luck out with the walkers." Though Carl wasn't handling it the best, Beth was agreeing with him. The least these people could do was be thankful for the home they were giving them, it was better than fending for themselves on the road for sure.

It might not compare to the state of Woodbury; with running water and electricity but it was safe. And that was what mattered; safety was key these days. A redheaded girl that looked like she could have been the head cheerleader, as perfectly made up as she was laughed out loud.

"And how many biters have you killed? One?" Her scornful tone was directed at Carl. Carl's fists tightened at his side, he was trying to control himself, the tides warring within him. It could go either way at the moment with all the tension in the air. Beth was holding so tight to Carl's shoulder her fingers were turning white.

"Cale here has killed so many he lost count." The words tumbled from the girls' mouth sounding like she worshipped the guy. 'Hell,' Beth thought to herself, 'She's probably on her knees for the guy every night.' Beth's felt the blush rise up at her own thought, quickly admonishing herself for such rude assumptions about someone she didn't know. Maybe the girl was Cale's girlfriend, who knew?

"Because that's all that matters. Counting how many walkers you've killed and showing off, not about surviving," Carl sneered, ripping his shoulder free from Beth's grasp and stalking off out of D block. She knew Cale's groupie had overstepped the line at her comments. She had no idea what Carl had been through and would probably never know, that was something that was kept close between the family.

Beth looked back to the group of teens in front of her. "Aren't you going to run after him?" Cale jested, one eyebrow cocked at her. Beth shook her head in dismay, she really felt sorry for these disillusioned people. It was like they really never left high school, being able to keep that rose colored glasses mentality.

"You really shouldn't have said that. He just lost his mom," Beth said. She idly wondered if she should even be telling them this. She figured that they would have found out sooner or later, it would slip somewhere. Nothing could really be kept secret for long, especially in closed walls like the prison. Even though they hadn't started off on the right foot, Beth had no reason to be rude. "I'm Beth," she said, holding out her hand. "That was Carl. Rick's son, I'm Hershel's daughter. You met them earlier."

Cale looked at her expectantly, gauging her appearance. She seemed harmless enough, but her bright blue eyes zeroing in on his dark eyes stirred something dark and heated in the pit of his gut. He cleared his throat, "I'm Cale, this is Madeline," gesturing to the mouthy redhead "And that's Jessie, Adam, Clark and Scarlett," he said gesturing to his friends. They gave half smiles to Beth. "What's it like being the leader's kid?" Cale asked, leaning forward slightly.

Beth wrinkled her brow, why would he even care what it was like being Rick' son? What did it matter to him? It wasn't like it made any difference, everyone was equal here. "There's nothing special about it," Beth said plainly.

Cale laughed slightly. "Okay, Elizabeth," he chuckled. Beth remained neutral; there wasn't any reason for her to get fired up over his erroneous assumption. She let him call her Elizabeth, the common longer name for Beth – but hers was Bethany. She didn't want to correct him and she didn't know why. "Why don't you meet me in that guard tower and we'll see about that. Tonight, just before dusk," he told Beth, earning confused stares from his friends; and a cocked eyebrow from Beth.

Scarlett and Madeline whispered something to each other, looking back to Beth with repulsion. Beth felt awkward, like she had stirred something up that shouldn't have been. She nodded; walked away with a wave, no longer wanting to be near the Woodbury teens. To be honest, Cale probably wouldn't have bothered with Beth if it wasn't for how different she was from the groupies. Beth wasn't wearing nice clothes, hair done and makeup on her face. The girls wore makeup! Beth couldn't recall how long it had been since her hair looked that nice, much less the last time she wore makeup. Maybe he was just looking for a change of scenery; girls like the groupies were usually stuck up bitches from what Beth recalled from high school.

Cale watched Beth walk away, reveling in how her collarbones jutted out across her chest, as well as how round and full her eyes were. The small features of her face were evenly proportioned. Round breasts and legs that went on for miles, that was something he liked about a woman. Scarlett and Jessie were attractive, but he never paid any attention to them before. They were mundane, one of the guys doing man's work in the town. Madeline though, she was the Doctor's daughter, used to a high class life. Madeline was his stress relief, the broad worshipped the ground he walked on and she liked it hard with kink. Madeline was Cale's "fucktoy"; she probably thought they were a couple, but he didn't care. Madeline served a purpose and not much past that. But Beth, she was different, she was a woman.

Cale watched as Beth walked through the crowd, meeting up with the short-haired woman near the leaders of the prison survivors. That was a difference from the group Cale came with; there was delegation between two leaders, versus a head honcho and his henchmen. Cale took orders from that asshole Merle, passed down from the Governor. Cale hated Merle; the son of a bitch treated him like he was dirt under his boot with no skills whatsoever. Merle had never come back to Woodbury, Cale was glad to see him gone. Beth took a baby from the older woman's arms, smiling and cooing at the baby. He couldn't pinpoint exactly who the child belonged to, but the smile on Beth's face told him it was hers. He licked his lips, so she had let someone relieve her of her virginity. What was to stop her from letting him take care of his needs? She didn't look to be attached to anyone floating in the group in front of him, so that left the option open.

Before the dead started to rise, Cale was popular in high school – the starting quarterback that everyone adored. He was used to women falling all over him. Hell, even his friends now were treating him like a god walking amongst mortals, but he had only eyes for one girl. He met her while he was at Woodbury, her name was Shay. Beth looked similar to Shay, the blonde hair, blue eyes with a similar body. It had been weeks since Cale had nailed one on with Madeline. Something about Beth was intriguing, just like Shay.

Shay didn't like it when Cale had come onto her; she really didn't when he had flipped on Shay when she rebuffed him. In Cale's rage of being turned down he brutalized and raped Shay. Shay never told who it was that had raped her, but it wasn't like anyone would believe her. Cale helped to protect the group; he helped feed the town with his hunting skills. They wouldn't expel him from Woodbury for taking advantage of a girl who was practically begging for it. He'd seen Shay out in the town off and on afterwards, he would look at her and she would look down. Once the evidence of what he had done began to show, Cale had stopped Shay on the sidewalk outside the pharmacy. She had pushed past him, crying and running for her parent's house. He hadn't even had the chance to say a word to her about anything between them.

When the Governor went off the deep end, Shay and her family escaped in the middle of the night. How they did it, he didn't even know – the walls were patrolled at all hours. But even now, Shay was as good as dead, either walker food or dead from birthing his bastard out in the wilderness. Either way he didn't give a damn; that was the past. Now, looking at Beth, he was feeling that same itch again. It had been awhile since he was able to have sex, Madeline had her girl problems and he had been busy patrolling or hunting. He wasn't satisfied with his own hand doing all the work, what man truly was?

Cale looked at how Beth was built; she was skinny, almost too skinny for his liking. He figured she didn't eat much, especially with having a baby around. She would be easy to overpower and to keep quiet while he satiated his hunger. It was a risk since she was a daughter of the leaders of the prison; but Cale always liked a challenge; his new challenge had a name and it was Beth Greene.

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**Tell us if you like the rewrite better than the original in a review please!**


	2. Acting The Part

**Here's chapter two!**

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Beth picked Judith up out of Carol's arms, snuggling her face with her own. The baby squealed happily, Beth loved when she was able to spend time with the little girl. If this was what having a baby was like; she would consider it for the right man, if she ever found that man. These days pickings were slim, and the handful of males that came with the Woodbury group were still strangers. How dare Cale try and talk Beth into meeting up with him tonight? In the guard tower of all places? She would be crazy to take him up on it; he could be a serial killer for all she knew. But something about him piqued her curiosity; she couldn't put her finger on it, but she would consider it. She was a big girl; she could make her own choices and live with the consequences.

Beth walked past Daryl; Judith reached her little arms out for the hunter, a happy squeak directed at him with a raspberry. Daryl smiled, plucking the baby out of Beth's arms. As much as he didn't want people knowing he was a softie, Beth knew better. Judith held a special place in Daryl's heart – a whole section reserved for the young girl. He was the one who got Judith to eat for the first time, and gave Judith her nickname of "Lil' Asskicker."

"Hey, sweet pea, how you doing today?" Daryl cooed at Judith, plucking at her lip with a finger, who then squawked back at him. Beth giggled at their little conversations, Daryl had a way with Judith that Beth would never understand. Daryl tossed Judith up in the air, eliciting giggles and more squeaks. His eyes stayed trained on Judith, catching her easily every time she came down. She didn't have to worry about Judith's safety around Daryl.

"Saw you and Carl talking with the kids from Woodbury. That redhead seems pretty uppity. They seem like they're gonna be trouble?" Even though Daryl wasn't looking at Beth, she knew that tone all too well. If he wasn't playing with Judith he would be looking straight at her to read her body language and expression.

"Yeah, her name is Madeline. I think she's with that brute Cale. She's got to be the queen bee or close to it, boy is she ever gonna have a rude awakening here. They were wearing makeup… The rest of them seem to follow Cale, like he's the star quarterback. He's awfully full of himself. He talked as if he already ran the place," Beth informed him.

Daryl nodded; digesting the information. He remembered their types from high school; they would pick on him until he fought back, then they were just afraid of him. Times apparently hadn't changed much. He was worried they were going to be trouble.

"Do I need to keep an eye on him?" Daryl caught Judith; holding her close to his chest, his eyes transfixed on Beth. She never understood why but when he looked at her like that she felt like prey.

Beth shrugged, taking Judith back from Daryl. "If you think he needs an eye on him, the go for it. But I think I'm okay handling it on my own for now. I'll let you know if I need you," Beth gave him a tight smile.

Daryl caught the smile in her soft voice, as a smirk painted his weary face. "Alright. See you at dinner."

Daryl watched Beth walk away, chattering at the baby in her arms on her way to the kitchen. Beth was keen when it came to learning new things; she always wanted to give people a chance. It was just who she was. She thought most people were inherently good, whereas Daryl thought the opposite. He worried about Beth; she was too good of a girl to get in trouble, which meant trouble sought her out.

Cale watched the exchange between Beth and the leader with the crossbow strapped across his back. The dirty, scruffy looking redneck couldn't be the father of the baby he was tossing in the air could he? The guy had to be old enough to be Beth's father; why in the hell would she be interested in someone like him when she could have someone her own age like Cale? Cale shook his head, he didn't get it. The guy didn't look like much, even with his motorcycle club cut on. He didn't look badass, strong or smart. Cale figured if push came to shove he could easily take the guy down. He always wanted to try shooting a crossbow. Cale turned his head at Adam, calling out his name, beckoning him to come help. There would be plenty of time to figure out who belonged with whom, and if he didn't like the results Cale could always change them.

"So why were you giving that kid such a hard time, Cale? He just lost his mom so the blonde says. That ain't shit you mess with man, you should know. You watched your mom die and turn before your dad shot her." Adam was always the conscience of the group, the angel on the shoulder.

Cale punched Adam in the shoulder, "Shut the fuck up about that! That ain't public notice! Keep that to yourself!" This wasn't the first time Cale had to remind Adam of this information either.

"Damn. You didn't have to punch me that hard. All I'm saying is leave the kid alone. What's your deal with the blonde? What's her name? Beth? Maddie isn't going to like you dumping her." Adam's eyes bulged as his back hit the wall behind him with the force of Cale backing him against it with all his weight. He might as well been better off keeping his mouth shut. Cale was a fuse waiting to be lit.

Cale had Adam's shirt twisted in his grip, his face inches from Adam's. Cale seethed; Adam cringed against the wall trying to get away from Cale though there was no escape.

"Maddie isn't anything to me except a piece of pussy. She may think different but she's sorely mistaken. And as far as Elizabeth, that's my business. I suggest you stay the fuck out of it. You read me?" Cale's voice held an unspoken threat that Adam heard loud and clear.

Adam quickly nodded, hoping Cale would turn him loose. The last time they had an argument like this; Adam had found himself backed into a corner with a knife pressed to his throat.

"Good that we understand each other. Help me get the rest of my gear out of my truck. I need to find a room of my own in this pit. Like hell I'm sharing a room with anyone." Cale dropped Adam to the concrete floor, turning to walk outside. Adam scurrying along behind him. Cale had things to do and people to see, to get settled into the new life at the prison. He didn't plan on it taking long to move up in the ranks.

Maggie played peek-a-boo with Judith, watching her sister brush out her hair before putting it up in a ponytail. Beth hummed to herself, fingers working the brush through her hair. She was careful to avoid the braids that were already in her hair.

"Do you ever think Carol will get the nerve to do something with Daryl?" Beth's thoughts became a voiced question.

Maggie snorted on a laugh, "Honestly, I don't think Daryl has a clue she wants him like that. And if he does, I don't think he would have a clue as to what to do with her. I don't think a guy like him has had that many women in his life. Carol might be a bit too headstrong for him."

Beth snickered at Margie's brash observation. She was probably right; Daryl didn't seem like the guy who was beating women off with a stick. He was a nice guy once you got to know him, but he could be moody at times. He wasn't exactly great at first impressions either.

"So where are you off to tonight that I get to keep Lil miss here?" Maggie played with Judith's nose, keeping the baby entertained.

"I thought I'd go and try to socialize with the teenagers from Woodbury. It doesn't hurt to know people my own age. It would be a nice change of pace, I think." Beth caressed Judith's cheek, before kissing her forehead.

Maggie half hugged Beth, keeping Judith tucked into her breast. "Just be careful okay? We don't know them that well. I would hate for something to happen."

"I will. You know I got the same lecture from Daryl today, too." Beth told her sister. It was almost as if they were thinking alike. She knew they were only looking out for her.

Maggie watched Beth leave the cell, her reply almost falling on deaf ears. "Bethy, you know it's because he cares about you, just like everyone else."

Cale sat on the ledge of the garden tower's gangway, his eyes scanning the land out below him. The metal fences would keep the biters out as long as they didn't pile up and push them down. There was space for growing crops, and with a heavily wooded area a short distance away, game would be close by. It wasn't Woodbury, it wasn't his farm, but he would make it work for him.

"Was beginning to think you wouldn't show up. I was just about to go down and head to bed," Cale said to the darkness.

Beth had tried to be quiet walking up the metal stairs, but Cale had noticed her nonetheless. It had grown dark by the time she had gotten Judith settled down with Maggie and made herself a bit more presentable.

"I'm sorry. I had to put the baby to bed." Beth had no reason to lie, it was partially true. She wasn't about to tell him she wanted to find some makeup to put on. Though, she didn't want to stoop to the newcomers level. Her group loved her just the same if she didn't change her face with layers of makeup. She couldn't say the same about Cale.

"She's a cute little thing. You looked really happy with her today." Cale tried to keep his tone conversational; he didn't want to scare Beth off. He really didn't want a repeat of Shay all over again if he could avoid it. He also had to make up for earlier.

Beth smiled, "Thanks. I love her a lot." She was surprised that Cale was being so nice compared to earlier. She had mistaken him for a jerk. Maybe being stuck in the prison for so long did that to her.

"Hey, look, Elizabeth; I wanted to apologize for being an asshole earlier. Just when people rub me wrong right off, I tend to get defensive. You forgive me?" Cale asked, turning his dark gaze to the blonde.

"People get a short fuse sometimes. You got to let things go you know? It's okay, just keep your temper under wraps from here on out and we'll be okay. Especially around Carl," Beth smiled at Cale; she liked it when he called her Elizabeth though she was too nice to tell him that wasn't her name.

Cale flashed his trademark grin, "Deal. So what's the story on the guy with the crossbow? The one that was playing with your baby earlier?" Cale figured with playing the nice guy he would be able to work his way into the group, gathering information as well as working his way into Beth's heart.

Beth giggled, remembering Daryl and Judith's conversation. She noticed he said _your baby. _She didn't correct him on that either. "That's Daryl. He's one of our leaders, and the resident hunter. He's one of my favorite people, I learned so much from him. I might not be here right now if it weren't for him." It was true; Daryl and Rick had taught Beth how to shoot after her little incident with the revolver. She cherished the things Daryl had taught her, skills to survive.

Cale could see her eyes light up when she talked about Daryl and her baby. So the guy was probably attached to her somehow, she left out the part of how. It didn't matter much; he would figure it out sooner or later, especially if he got put out on a hunt with the guy. There was always plenty of time to talk in hunting camp, even with the walkers out there. Hunting camp was for men, the women stayed behind in the town. Women had their place, some just needed to be reminded more than others what it was. Cale thought Beth would be one of those girls. He fought the urge to roll his eyes.

They chatted for a bit longer, Cale asking questions with Beth answering quickly. She was honest in her answers; Cale was getting more information than he asked for, while giving her just enough information about him to fend off another question for awhile. He learned she grew up on a farm just like he had.

"So what's the story behind you and Madeline? She seems to think you walk on water. I think that's what got Carl bent up earlier." Beth was more than curious, and as her mama always said 'curiosity killed the cat, but reincarnation brought him back'.

Cale scoffed, picking at a loose flap of skin on his thumb. How was he supposed to explain his relationship (or lack thereof) with Madeline? He couldn't just come out and say he was using her for sex; that would label him a douchebag and be counterproductive to his cause. He wasn't opposed to lying, either. This whole conversation was almost made up of lies. So he made up a story on the spot that he hoped would satisfy Beth's inquisitions.

"Maddie and I are a casually dating thing. Nothing too serious, she's been eyeing a couple of the guys in town so we agreed options are open." Cale studied Beth's reaction; when it seemed like she was accepting of that answer he let out the breath he wasn't aware he was holding. Beth seemed like she was a bit naive, she'd believe anything someone told her until she figured out different. She was easy to fool.

"Well I guess that's a pretty good explanation. I need to get to bed, so can we talk again tomorrow?" Beth looked up into Cale's dark eyes, the depth of the color was mesmerizing, she had never seen someone with eyes so brown they were nearly black.

"Can I walk you back? Not that I'm worried about you getting bit, it's just one of my things." Cale flashed that million dollar grin at Beth; she couldn't help but smile back. He already had her under his spell. He wanted to laugh at how easy it was. He thought she would be more of a challenge than that.

"Sure. You have some old fashioned qualities I like about you." Beth took Cale's hand in hers as he helped her down the stairs of the guard tower. Her hand felt so soft wrapped up in his, Cale felt the flip flop in his gut once more. He was glad that Beth was more gullible than he thought. He would be taking care of that feeling much sooner than he thought.

Walking Beth to her cell proved easier than Cale thought, no one seemed to think twice with him walking with Beth. No one's eyes wandered over them like walking girls to their cells was a relatively normal happening. Cale glanced inside Beth's cell, finding the crib and the upper bunk empty.

"Where's your baby? She's not with you?" Surprise was evident in Cale's voice. He wanted to see the little girl, study her features to see if he could pinpoint the father. Beth blinked at him for a second before her voice came as a whisper.

"She's with my sister and her husband tonight. I'll see her in the morning. I get time away from her sometimes. Everyone needs their "me" time when we're all so close here," she explained, holding onto one of the bars of her cell door.

Cale nodded, "Alright then. See you tomorrow, Elizabeth." He murmured against Beth's cheek before placing a chaste kiss upon it. He felt the blush rise up in her before he pulled away.

Beth watched Cale walk toward D block before walking into her own cell. She was looking forward to seeing him tomorrow; he didn't seem like such a bad guy after all. He just was a bit misunderstood from the earlier encounter of the day.

Cale quietly whistled as he headed for D block. Every good performance needed a good actor. His plans were coming together nicely; Beth would be his before she even knew it.

Daryl hid back in the shadows, watching the exchanges between Beth and the new kid from Woodbury. Something about the guy didn't sit right in his gut, and he didn't want to see Beth get hurt. She was too sweet to see Cale's true intentions. Daryl would do what he was best at; watching and waiting from the shadows, striking when the time was right.


	3. Cry Wolf

**Here's chapter three! Just know, there is a triggering scene in this chapter if you don't want to continue reading.**

* * *

In the time that Cale had been in the prison, the leaves had already started to change, plunging the land around them into a spectrum of warm colors. They were going into an early autumn; everyone was glad the heat of summer was gone, but dreaded the dead of winter. Daryl watched as Beth and Cale walked around the perimeter of the fence; chatting wildly, Judith on her hip. He shook his head at their interactions, sticking a cigarette between his lips and lighting it. For months, Cale had been socializing with Beth, becoming friendlier as the days went by. Something about the guy still rubbed him wrong, but for Beth he was willing to let it slide, for now.

The two teenagers had made a routine of walking around the fences together, sometimes even choosing to do fence duty together. Cale reveled in the way Beth held the steel spike and drove it through the biters heads. He wanted to make her fall, to show her that she belonged somewhere else. He couldn't bring himself to do it with everyone watching, it would be the end of the act. Beth would laugh and look at him as she drew the spike back, blood splattering her apron. She enjoyed doing man's work; killing the biters.

Cale would smile back, keeping his friendly façade going. Beth even took the liberty upon herself to start doing guard duty with Cale, even though most of the council objected to it. "You have to take care of Judith," they said. Beth nodded, understanding, even though she wanted more. But she would do anything to spend more time with Cale – she was intoxicated by him. Daryl was surprised when she asked to replace his night shift with Cale. Before the Woodbury survivors came, she was always asking to go on watch with him.

Daryl scoffed, "What? Ya don't like me anymore? Spending all your time with pretty boy there isn't good ya know? You got other things to do in the family than him."

Beth pleaded with Daryl, hoping he would see her point. "I love you I do, but I just think there are other things you could be doing with your time. Like helping Rick or Daddy with the livestock."

Daryl looked over Beth's shoulder at Cale walking up; the guy eyed them like a hawk. "Alright, but just this once. You ain't letting anyone else get to know him, and that ain't right. Next rotation he's mine." Daryl stalked off before Cale intercepted, Beth sighed when Cale's hand fell on her slim shoulder.

"Everything alright, Elizabeth? Daryl bugging you?" Cale was having difficulty hiding the venom in his voice.

Beth took it as Cale being protective, "Yeah everything's fine. We just needed to clarify things a bit. Nothing for you to worry about." Beth stretched up, brushing a kiss against his cheek.

It was exactly what Cale wanted, though. As long as the crossbow-wielding hick was out of the way, his plan was working. Maddie, Jessie and Scarlett had faded to the backburner. They gave up on their pursuit of Cale when Beth had started taking up all of his time. As they adjusted to life in the prison, they had started wearing less and less makeup until they virtually wore none. They were assimilating into the prison life, if it weren't for Cale, they would have been great friends for Beth.

Daryl sidled up to Carl, eyes still on Beth, Judith and Cale. "Have you talked to Beth in awhile?" He questioned, taking a long drag from his cigarette and blowing out the smoke. Daryl noticed he had been smoking more than usual; the stresses of being an elder bearing down on him.

Carl shook his head, squinting up at Daryl. "Ever since Cale got here, she started to ignore me. Even I made up with Adam and Clark and the girls, but Cale still seems to have a stick up his ass. The other Woodbury teens are pretty okay, but Cale, he doesn't like anyone going around Beth or Judith," he said. "I don't think he even realizes that Beth isn't her mom. He still calls her Elizabeth, and that's not her name. She doesn't even correct him."

Daryl chuckled at Cale's stupidity. "Somethin' ain't right about that kid," was all he said. Carl nodded in agreement; he wanted his best friend back. He couldn't help but think back to the first day that the Woodbury survivors arrived at the prison. Beth was so apprehensive about their coming and now she was a completely different person. She had barely said two words to Carl in the three months that had gone by. "I don't like it."

"You've been keeping an eye on him, right?" Carl asked, his eyes trained on Beth and Cale. He didn't like his sister being around Cale, the guy just seemed like he was trying too hard to win Beth's affection.

Daryl nodded, taking the cigarette from his mouth. "He's been wooing her alright, kissing up on her cheeks. Nothing farther than that, if there was I'd kick his ass into the next horde," Daryl said, glancing over at Carl. Beth and Cale were rounding the corner, coming up into the prison yard. They both could hear Beth's laugh as Cale told her a story that probably was complete bullshit.

Carl rolled his eyes. "Hey, Beth," he said as they approached. Cale glared at him with his eyes. _How dare you talk to her, _they said. She waved daintily, acknowledging Carl and Daryl's presence.

"Can you take Judith for me? I wanted to help Cale pack for the run later today," she beamed, a pink tint rising on her cheeks. Cale leaned over and kissed her cheek. Daryl stiffened. The kid had a lot of nerve to show affection in front of him. Reluctantly, Carl took his baby sister into his arms without a thank you from Beth as they wandered back on inside.

He looked to his baby sister. She had grown so much, almost able to walk on her own. Her first words were 'momma,' but it wasn't Lori that was her momma. It was Beth. Daryl settled a hand on Carl's shoulder. "It'll be alright, kid. Beth'll come to her senses soon and drop that kid like he never existed. She's got a good head on her shoulders." Carl nodded; as Judith babbled for Daddy, he wasn't sure if she meant Daryl or his Dad, not that it mattered much anyway. Daryl showed Judith more love than her Dad did these days.

Beth pushed up onto her toes, planting a kiss on Cale's cheek. He was leaving on the run with Daryl, Michonne, Sasha, Tyreese, Bob and some of the other Woodbury survivors. Carl was there too, it was his second run ever. He noticed Adam and Clark amongst the group, holding their rifles towards the ground. Carl rolled his eyes; he didn't know how those two managed to get approved to go on the run. Even if it was only to a Big Spot, they were clearly cowards. Cale's eyes hovered over Daryl and his crossbow in envy.

Daryl noticed his gaze. He knew that Cale wanted his crossbow just by the look in his dark eyes. It was the same look that Merle got when he robbed gas stations when he was younger. The kid wouldn't be able to handle his weapon, let alone now how to load it or even hold it up. It wasn't the lightest thing out there to use. He chuckled thinking about it; the kid snapping off his finger in the draw on a release. It'd be bloody and hurt like a sumbitch, but he'd never want to shoot a crossbow again.

"Alright, listen up!" Daryl said, turning to the Woodbury survivors. He didn't have to worry about the prison group on runs; they were seasoned and knew what to do. He'd even whipped Bob's ass into shape after the alcohol incident on the run for meds at the vet school. "We go in, get out and we do it quiet. You listen to us. Ask questions if you gotta. Don't have a dumbass attack and we'll be good," Daryl instructed. Michonne nodded in agreement.

"Everyone loaded and ready to head out?" Michonne asked. There was a chorus of 'yes' in reply. Beth walked away without another word to Cale, he watched after her. Why didn't she say anything to him? He was risking his life for her, for the group. It sparked anger throughout him, for her being insolent.

Cale looked back to the group – Daryl magically appearing right in front of him, eyes trained on Cale. "Beth doesn't say goodbye," words cold as the ice in his eyes. Daryl's glare lingered for a little longer before waving the group on into the cars.

Cale seethed in the back of the car as they drove to the Big Spot. He was still reeling over the way Beth had treated him. After all these months of being nice to her, rolling his eyes internally at her, this was how she treated him? He didn't have much time to boil as car doors popped open in the Big Spot parking lot. Cale shook Beth out of his mind; he would deal with her later.

Daryl led the formation into the Big Spot. This was his second time raiding the specific store. Bob had knocked over the shelf the first time going for the alcohol, but that was all that happened. No casualties and that was good. "We stay in this room, don't wander," Daryl instructed. After his instruction, the group split up, covering as much ground as possible. Cale rolled his eyes and wandered away, he had items on his personal list that he was getting before the items for the group.

Adam and Clark had decided to stick together, seeing as it was their first run, neither wanted to admit that they were scared. A sadistic smile twisted onto Cale's lips as he snuck up behind them, tucking his pistol into the back of his jeans. He clasped their shoulders roughly, tugging them down to the floor. Clark screamed like a little girl, Adam was gulping for air like a fish out of water. Cale was laughing his ass off at the two boys; the looks on their faces were priceless. Cale's laughs stopped when he was thrown up against a wall, the wind knocked out of him.

"You think that's funny?" Daryl growled, his forearm pressing across the length of Cale's chest. "This ain't cry wolf," Daryl continued, shoving him away. Carl watched as Cale straightened his clothing out. He wanted to smile, but he didn't dare in the moment, Cale was liable to blow up on him and Carl didn't want to. Cale was in shock of how Daryl treated him, how dare that asshole treat him like a child? Adam and Clark watched for afar, sticking things into their bags. Cale stalked off, filling his own bag with supplies.

The group had made it back from the supply run virtually unharmed. The only mishap was between Cale and his friends, while not a horrendous offense, it still needed to be discussed with the elders and dealt with. It'd be a long time before he was allowed back on a run again if Daryl had anything to say about it in the elder's meeting.

Daryl's eyes caught Beth making her way to the showers, a towel draped over her arm and a shower caddy in her other hand. He'd lost track of time while on the run; it was past dinner, which was when Beth usually stepped out to take her shower. He sought out the calming giggles of Judith, that little girl could make him better no matter what had gone wrong.

Beth didn't know that the group had returned, last she was aware at dinner they were still gone. She wasn't worried, really. She knew Daryl would make sure everyone returned safely, she had the upmost faith in him. Beth walked into the showers, setting her shower caddy on the small ledge separating the showers. She turned back, pulling at the end of her shirt and raising it over her head. It had been a long day out in the sun and she needed a shower desperately. Sweat and grime clung to her skin; Beth hated that grimy, gritty feeling on her skin. It made her feel dirty, she wanted to look and feel better not only for Cale but for herself.

Beth stripped off her bra, pants and underwear, folding them neatly next to her towel on the bench. She stepped into the shower, pulling on the chain to let the water flow from the shower head. The water cascaded over her shoulders and wet her hair, she sighed at the warmth of the water kissing her tired skin. Reaching for her shampoo; her wrist was caught in a vice grip, wrenching downwards. Beth yelped in pain, the position awkward and painful on her shoulder. Cale stood behind her, expertly avoiding the steady stream of water. "Cale!" Beth exclaimed, trying to twist her wrist free, his grip wasn't letting loose, she could feel the tendons in her shoulder stretching to accommodate the tension.

Beth scrambled to cover herself; she had never been naked in front of anyone before, it wasn't how she was raised. Beth liked Cale; but not enough to let him see her this vulnerable. He had seen her walk into the showers; he thought it was the perfect place to take what he burned for. It was far off from C and D blocks and the water would drown out any cries she would utter from that pretty mouth. Cale drug Beth from her shower and into the next stall; the floor was dry, giving them both better footing.

Cale threw Beth against the wall; a gasp of shock escaping her, "You didn't say goodbye to me, bitch," he sneered. Beth pushed her wet hair from her eyes, staring at Cale in shock and confusion. Cale could see she was scared and that was exactly what he wanted, he got off on her fear. He was a man who thrived being in control, having others fear and worship him. "I could have died out there. And you – you were being stubborn. A nice, sweet 'I love you' would have sufficed. And we wouldn't be where we are now, but nooo, you couldn't care enough to utter the words" Cale talked down to Beth, niceties were done with after today.

Beth shivered, wrapping her arms around her body; closing and twisting her legs so he had an obscured view of her lower half. She wanted to say she didn't love him, but the words just wouldn't come out. She figured it wouldn't help the situation much either. Beth could scream, but no one would hear her down here. "The least you could do is help me relax after a long day out saving your goddamn life," Cale smirked, running his index finger over his lip. Beth looked even better with her clothes off; Cale could feel himself straining against the fly of his jeans.

Beth shook her head, her eyes pleading with him to stop this madness; she could forgive him if it didn't go any farther. "No, please don't do this." Cale's eyes flared at her refusal. She was denying him, no one denied him. He started forward, cornering Beth with nowhere to go but cower against the tiled wall. Cale raised his hand, knuckles aimed towards Beth's cheek. He let his fist fly, striking Beth's cheek. She almost slipped from the force of the hit; her teeth rattling in her head as she cradled her stinging cheek.

Cale leveraged his weight against her body, her burning cheek pressed to the cool wall. Cale captured both of her wrists behind her back in his large hands. She tried struggling, but it was no use – Cale was overpowering her and she knew it. "Stop!" She wailed, she could feel his body surging against her, her cry only pressed him against her that much harder.

Beth started to cry in earnest when she felt him against her bare back side, he was hard as stone through his jeans, his breathing had turned erratic. She wasn't ready for the thought of him enjoying her fear and distress. Cale's hand went to her ass, squeezing it hard only to make Beth squirm. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. You want to please your man, don't you?" He hissed into her ear. Cale's hand slipped between her thighs, delving into her folds. Beth cried out, his hands were cold.

He probed his finger in and out, slowly torturing her. He wanted her to know she did wrong by him, disrespected him even. Beth's body betrayed her as her hips began to move on their own in time to Cale's fingers deep inside her. Cale grinned; it was just like Shay over again, all whores liked a good fucking from their man. Beth tried to her clench her thighs together but only earned her another shove against the wall. Cale backed off then, gazing at her, he hadn't even gotten started yet.

"Touch yourself while I get situated here," Cale instructed, standing back and waiting. While he was at the run, he had found a stash of condoms. He didn't want to get this bitch pregnant again; he didn't want the responsibility of a bastard nor anyone knowing what he was up to. He pulled one out of his pocket as Beth reluctantly moved her hands down her body, tears staining her red cheeks.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to look at him any longer. The mere sight of him repulsed her. Beth had never touched herself before; she had other things to worry about than her sexual urges that were now going to be tainted if not non-existent after this. Cale shrugged his pants down around his hips, rolling the condom down his shaft. "It's better if you don't struggle," he sneered down at her as he gripped her shoulders. Beth looked away as he threw her to the floor, landing on her hands and knees. He was on top of her in a moment; she could feel the roughness of his clothes against the backs of her legs, the weight and thickness of him at her entrance.

Trepidations she had about her first time were correct. It hurt and burned as the dry condom scraped at her insides. The second thrust her arms gave out, Beth's face was pressed to the cold tiles, her ass and hips in his hands. She was sure she was bleeding and wouldn't be walking right for the next few days. It stung as he picked up the pace of his thrusts, teeth grazing over Beth's back. She cried harder when she felt his fingers violating her in a place she never thought fingers had a place being; Cale was humming above her, enjoying humiliating her.

Beth trained her eyes on the wall, zoning out. If she wasn't mentally present for the rape, maybe it wasn't happening. Out of sight, out of mind, her mama always said. Cale finished quickly; she could feel him jerk inside her, relief coming in feeling him pull out of her. People were probably looking for the both of them; at least she hoped someone was looking for her, she could care less if someone was looking for Cale.

He stood up from Beth's collapsing form, leaving her to roll over and cover her body again. She ached everywhere, and that ache was going to get worse. Cale only smirked as he discarded the condom in one of the toilet, washing his hands in the still running shower with her soap and buttoned his pants back up. He knelt down to Beth, fingers gripping her chin; forcing her to look at him. "One word to anyone-_one fucking word_- and your baby will be dead," he warned. Beth nodded, knowing to reply to him or she would be hit again. Satisfied with his job, Cale stalked out of the showers, whistling to himself.

It had taken Beth several minutes before she picked herself up off the floor. She reached down between her legs, feeling for blood. Her fingers came back crimson tinged, looking down she found the insides of her thighs stained with blood. She stood, carefully using the half wall as a crutch, ignoring the pain stabbing through her abdomen. _At least he used a condom, _she thought, scoffing to herself. Beth redressed with painstakingly slow movements, everything hurt even as she felt hollow.

Regaining what little dignity she had left, Beth gingerly moved all her joints. She rolled her shoulders, her wrists, her neck and her legs. All of them ached. She gazed at herself in the mirror; one of her cheeks was inflamed pink. It didn't look like someone smacked her; it only looked like a brush burn. She was sure it wasn't going to bruise, since it was pressed against cold tiles the entire time Cale was assaulting her.

Beth grabbed her shower caddy, not wanting to stay in this shower for a moment longer. She moved into the hallway, it was deathly silent except for her ragged breaths. She ran her hand along the concrete wall for balance as she staggered down the hallway. "Beth?" She heard a voice calling her name, she couldn't register who it belonged to, her heart started to beat faster, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

It wasn't Cale's voice, but someone else's. She turned to look who had called her name. She knew by the outline of the hat that it was Carl. "Carl?" She croaked through parched lips. She turned towards the shadow, walking as fast as she could down the hall. "You have to help me!" she cried. "Cale… he – he attacked me in the shower. He raped me Carl!" she cried, holding onto Carl's shoulders. He was almost as tall as her now, their eyes met in the darkness. Carl's eyes were dead, devoid of emotion. Beth shivered in fear, her friend, her brother, wasn't here with her. Wasn't here to save her from the hell she was in.

Carl only shrugged Beth off; he didn't know why she was seeking out his help now when she ignored him for a solid three months. Besides, Beth was basically in love with Cale, she was lying; no one raped someone they loved. He could tell Cale loved her and Beth loved him.

"Beth, stop," he bit out, words emotionless as the stone walls around them. He watched the hope die out of her eyes that he wasn't her saving grace anymore. "You probably just fell in the shower. This isn't cry wolf," he said, stalking down the hallway without another look back.

Beth sank to her knees in the hallway, tears streaming down her face. She could hear Carl's words echoing in her head, in someone else's voice...Daryl.


	4. What You Don't Understand

Beth stumbled back to her cell in the cacophony of the prison's night sounds. People did things in their sleep they were not aware of: snoring, singing, talking and praying were a few of the normal sounds. Passing Maggie and Glenn's cell she heard them having sex; the thought of sex made Beth's stomach turn. For Maggie and Glenn, it wasn't called sex, it was called making love. Beth could never see that act being termed like that for her; not after this, not after Cale ruined her. She was damaged goods now; no one would want her tainted like she was.

She sat down in her desk chair, struggling to gather her thoughts. Beth knew she needed to get herself cleaned up; if someone saw her with blood running down her legs she would be forced to explain what happened, and Cale would kill Judith. The threat was not an empty one, he was dead serious. She had never corrected him about Judith not being hers; Beth couldn't live with the thought of being responsible for the little girl's death. If Judith died, it would create a ripple effect in her family, Beth knew she couldn't handle the blanket of sorrow caused by her being stupid.

Beth grabbed an old black t-shirt out of her makeshift dresser, carefully wiping off the blood from her legs. If she could get the bulk of it off now, she could get the rest off in the shower tomorrow night. Beth hissed through her teeth, gingerly running the soft cotton between her legs. Her vagina throbbed, ached and burned; Beth cried silent tears. She never figured something like this would happen to her, and how deep it would affect her. Maggie had been terrorized by the Governor; but not raped, she'd moved on pretty well Beth thought. But what Cale did to her was completely different, and it would take years if ever for Beth to move on.

Beth cleaned herself up the best she could, taking care of her hair and dressing in her pajamas. Staring into the mirror on her wall, Beth squeaked at the face staring back at her. The haunted eyes were dull and lifeless, her innocence was lost. She knew then that she had to become a different person, the sweet little Beth everyone knew was gone. Beth reached into her shower caddy, her fingers wrapping around the slim metal handle of her razor. The cold metal felt good in her hand; so elegant yet so deadly in the wrong hands, in the wrong frame of mind.

It had been awhile since Beth cut herself the last time; it seemed like a lifetime ago at the farm. So much in her life had changed since then; it was a never ending batter, this thing change. She needed the sharp bite of the blade to take her pain somewhere else than her battered insides, her battered soul. Beth carefully drug the blade across her wrist; the sting welcome like an old lover returning from being gone. Smiling to herself, Beth watched the blood bead up on her wrist, transfixed on the life-giving fluid. The beads ran together, running down the side of her wrist to drip onto the floor. With each drop hitting the floor, Beth felt the pain slowly ebb away. Someday, somehow the end would come and she would be free of her pain, but it would not be this day.

"Come on pretty boy, let's get going. Don't want to lose anymore daylight. Food's ain't gonna drop in our lap!" Daryl 's irritation was evident with Cale, the guy rubbed Daryl wrong since the day he arrived at the prison. Cale hung around Beth constantly, they had cooled off some in the recent weeks. Beth seemed to just tolerate Cale, versus being in love with him. People just didn't fall out of love without a reason.

Cale leaned over Beth, savoring the scent of her strawberry shampoo. For weeks he'd coerced her into keeping up the guise of them being a couple. Her fear made him hard, the control was like a drug for him. Cale had a few chances to sink his claws into Beth, enjoying every minute of it. He'd kept Beth in silence, intimidation was powerful.

Beth cringed feeling Cale's breath on her neck, her stomach turned when he nipped at her earlobe. She stayed still, dealing with what he gave her.

"When I get back tomorrow with dinner, you're going to show me some gratitude. You understand me?" Cale whispered in her ear, seeing her shiver. He smirked at her submission, he was almost hard from it.

Beth nodded her head, turning to kiss Cale quickly on the lips. If she knew she could have gotten away with it, she would have thrown up on him right then and there. Judith's giggle broke the moment, reminding Beth what was at stake. She would do anything to keep Judith safe.

"Good girl. I'll find you tomorrow." Cale smacked Beth on the ass, whistling as he walked away. If he could bag a deer on the hunting trip and get a piece of ass when he got home, it would be a good day.

Daryl followed the motions between Beth and Cale silently as he sharpened his arrows, things didn't add up. Daryl knew that look in Beth's eyes, he'd seen that look before in his own eyes. She was hurt and scared, anyone could see the fear in her eyes. Something had changed in her; and he was determined to find out what, and who instigated those changes in her. He shoved his arrows back into his quiver and stalked off.

Beth knelt on the floor of her cell, playing the cup game with Judith. Beth would put a toy or snack under one of the cups in the formation, and Judith would stack the cups again to find the treat. It helped with her learning process and motor functions. Judith babbled at Beth, her toothy grin making Beth smile.

"Go ahead, sweetie, find Froggy." Judith squealed pulling the cups apart. Within seconds Beth had a mess on the floor, with Judith squashing the squeaky frog at Beth. Beth began to laugh, Judith smiled again, giggling happily.

"Mama!" Judith's voice called out through the cell. It wasn't the first time that she had called Beth that, but this time was particularly saddening.

Beth pulled the little girl into her chest, saddened that Rick missed his daughter's first words. Beth began to cry, realizing the only mother Judith had ever known was herself. It was up to her to protect the little girl, at whatever cost.

Daryl drove the Jeep across an old iron and wood bridge. The hunting camp was set back in a grove of trees Daryl had found in the spring. The walkers were few and far between, leaving the wildlife to thrive. They would have pretty good odds of bagging a couple of deer to keep them fed through the winter.

Pulling into the clearing, Daryl watched as Cale piled out of the truck with two of the other teens from Woodbury. The redhead, Maddie, came along to doctor if someone got hurt. The other boy, Clark, had become quite the marksman under Daryl 's tutelage. He wasn't too bad, nothing like Cale. Between three hunters the odds were definitely in their favor.

"Alright, let's get tents set up and dinner going. I'll head out and see what I can bag. You all stay here. Clark, you're on watch first." Daryl spoke directly to the group, Clark nodded chambering a round in his rifle before slinging it over his back.

Cale waited until Daryl was gone to open his mouth. "Let's get camp set up, I've got plans."

Clark looked over at Cale, snorting in disgust. "Daryl put me on watch, so you two are setting up the camp." As the months went by, Clark had become more independent. He used to be infatuated with Cale, but that seemed to disappear more as Cale spent more time with Beth.

Maddie sidled up to Cale, running her hands over his chest and down across his shoulders. She knew she could convince Cale to leave Clark be, and wile her way out of setting up camp with just a look.

Cale pushed Maddie to the ground, his eyes daggers on her body. "You want out of working, you pay up later. And fuck you, Clark. Daryl isn't the all-great leader they make him out to be," Cale spit. He was tired of the way everyone worshipped the rugged crossbow shooting mountain man. The way Cale saw it, he was nothing special and he could beat him any day.

Daryl found a comfortable spot up in a tree in a tree stand he had set up months before, watching the signs for the deer to come through. They needed at least two deer to make due for the rest of the winter. Daryl caught movement through the brush off to his left, listening intently. He raised his crossbow in precaution. The voices were hushed, one female trying not to laugh too loud. He furrowed his brow, the voices did sound familiar. He would be livid if Maddie and Cale were fooling around, not getting the camp set up before dark.

Daryl climbed down out of the tree, stalking through the grass towards the sound. The closer he got, the voices quieted until he heard nothing but the grass blowing in the afternoon breeze. He had to get closer, he needed to know if it was a threat or just his group.

Ducking behind a tree; Daryl ventured a look to his right, what he saw instantly inflamed him. Cale had Maddie on the ground, her hips in the air, face twisted in pain buried in the grass. One hand was around her throat choking her, fingers of his other hand buried in her ass as his hips savagely pounded her from behind. Maddie's face was blank, her body was there but she was somewhere else. Daryl saw her hands were tied behind her back.

"What in the fuck are you doing to her?!" Daryl raged, running into the meadow, his crossbow trained on the pair. He hit Cale square; his body disconnected from Maddie's, who slumped to the ground gasping for air. She didn't try to hide her body but Cale quickly tried to button his fly.

Daryl fisted Cale's shirt in one hand, fist ready to fly. "You better explain yourself. Right fucking now. You're with Beth and you're out fucking around with someone else. What the hell man?" Daryl was enraged. He knew something was up this whole time with Cale and he finally pinpointed it. His heart ached for Beth; he wondered if she knew about all of this.

Cale laughed, rolling to throw Daryl off him. Putting himself back together; Cale walked over to Maddie, cutting her hands free from behind her back. Maddie took Cale's face in both her hands, kissing him deeply. There were dark red rings around her wrists – Daryl averted his gaze from the binding marks as they brought up bad memories.

Daryl stared in disbelief, just moments ago this guy was treating her like a piece of meat and now she was all over him. These kids were blowing his mind.

"You can't pass judgment on what you don't understand." Maddie' s words cut through Daryl like a knife. This girl was unbelievable to enjoy Cale doing what he did to her. It wasn't right.

Cale laughed once more, "Old man, I settle my urges with Maddie here so I don't break poor Beth. I'd hate to take her virginity before we're married."


	5. Tying Up Loose Ends

The day dragged on for Beth; her life just felt like one long routine of someone else's life. The person she was before Cale appeared was long forgotten; it was hard for her to remember that she_actually_ had been happy. She was going through the motions of living, but not living how she wanted it to be. Beth felt like a ghost watching life happen around her with no means of wholly interacting with it. Beth cradled Judith in her arms as she made her way down to dinner; she wasn't hungry, but Judith needed to eat. Carol needed help with prepping and most of the Woodbury people picking up the rest of the chores. Carol enjoyed cooking; Beth could learn so much from the woman who kept so quiet since Woodbury came to the prison.

Beth knew she should be enjoying her time away from Cale, but it was hard. Maggie watched as Beth descended the stairs; her eyes hollow and empty, her posture like a broken rag doll. She knew she was depressed, but what could Maggie do to ease her sister? Tell her everything would be all right? Promise her something that would be hard to acquire or achieve? Maggie wasn't prone to lying, that just wasn't in her nature. Glenn cast Beth a glance as she approached.

"Hungry?" Beth could hear the worry in his voice, and she appreciated the care her brother in law had for her. Ever since the fall of the farm Glenn had been Beth's big brother, there for her when she needed an unbiased shoulder close to her age, old enough to have wisdom but not old enough to look down at her. If she came clean with anyone about what was going on with Cale, it would be Glenn. Glenn would know how to broach it to everyone else without it being a nuclear hell storm going off like Daryl or Rick. Beth cringed remembering how the two leaders had handled the threat of Randall, as much as Cale deserved the same fate, Beth didn't want it exploding like a bomb.

Beth shook her head, bouncing Judith on her hip. Beth hadn't been hungry for weeks, no matter what Carol made. Carol had even tried to bribe Beth into eating with some mint Oreos that Daryl had found on a run. Somehow Daryl had found out they were Beth's favorite, and he thought if she would eat anything that would be it. But it failed miserably; Beth took the cookies from Carol, thanked her and distributed them through the Woodbury kids. Beth was thin to begin with; but since Cale had gotten a hold of her, bones were starting to stick out at odd angles. Beth could feel and count her ribs, her hipbones prominent even with clothes on. She sat across from her family as Daddy set a plate in front of her piled with deer, potatoes and carrots. Judith was old enough to eat solid food so Beth tended to her first; cutting the food up into bite size bits, Judith always came first.

It was unspoken rule between everyone in the group-Judith would live until she grew old; every person in the family would go to any length to make sure that happens. Beth cut up a bit of her deer steak and fed it to Judith; the little girl loved deer, Beth didn't mind giving her a bit more. Judith squealed with the promise of extra food. Once Judith was fed and refused any more offerings from Beth; she slowly ate what little bit was left on her plate. Maggie didn't say anything about the fresh slice on her sister's wrist; Beth had failed trying to hide it under a bracelet Daryl had made her out of paracord.

Once Daryl had Cale and Maddie separated and put to chores, he returned to his tree stand dragging Cale by his collar. There was no way that Daryl – in his right mind – would let Cale alone with Maddie on this trip again. Even if fucking Maddie ten shades of Sunday meant he would save Beth, he couldn't let either Maddie or Beth get hurt. It wasn't right what Cale was doing to Maddie, even if she enjoyed it. It bordered on sadism; hurting a woman for pleasure wasn't much different than what his own Daddy did: hurting women, Daryl and Merle for his pleasure. It was sick, twisted and unreal; Beth didn't need to be exposed to that kind of bullshit. It would ruin her; much like Maddie, even though the girl wouldn't admit it. Daryl's gut burned at the pictures flying through his mind watching Cale grab the bottom limb and ascend the tree.

Daryl scrambled up the tree after Cale, looking forward to the silence of the tree stand. After both of them were perched, an uncomfortable silence fell over the two of them. The disdain heavy in the air between them, neither liked the other and trust was nonexistent. Daryl chewed on the skin around his thumbnail; the habit was still there when he was nervous. He wanted to yell and beat Cale's face in at the moment, but he had to rein it in. He was the only adult on this hunting trip and he couldn't come back without Cale; people would seriously ask questions if he did. And Daryl wasn't sure how he would go about handling a situation like that.

Even if he could peg it on walkers, he couldn't kill Cale. Daryl clenched his jaw at the thought of this cocksucker marrying Beth. '_Over my dead body,' _Daryl thought. The way he looked at it, Cale was hiding something, whatever it was wasn't pretty. The interactions between Beth and Cale had changed drastically over the last few weeks. It was on the tip of his tongue, right under his nose, but Daryl couldn't figure out what it was.

He had only seen Beth like this once before and that was when she wanted to die. It killed him to sit back and watch Beth self-destruct in front of him; he had been helpless to do anything about it, being Hershel's daughter and Beth being so much younger than him. Daryl knew there was a strong woman buried somewhere inside Beth, but she was anything but strong at the moment.

"So," Cale drawled, snapping Daryl out of his thoughts. "Will you be my best man?"

Daryl scoffed. The little shit was only trying to get a rise of out Daryl, and once again, both of them knew that. Daryl didn't answer the question but instead asked: "Have you even proposed to her? Asked her Daddy's permission? I don't think it's right to not consult her family first."

"Nah, but it's not like she can't say no, right? She's the one who decides, not her family." Cale chuckled beside Daryl; the kid had a way of manipulating people without them being aware he had done it. He had manipulated Maddie, Adam, Clark and all his friends before the world went to shit. Beth was one of the easiest; Daryl was one of the hardest people Cale had decided to take on. But now that he was stuck up in this godforsaken tree stand with him, he might as well bring the "A" game. It really was a game to Cale, he thrived on the power he had over people. He craved more power; it was like drugs to an addict, he never had enough.

"Beth's fragile," Daryl said, even though he knew Cale was aware of it. "Listen to me very clearly. You set one finger on her, I see as much as one bruise on her – it's my arrow in your ass." Hershel was Beth's father, but Daryl was as much as a parent to Beth as Hershel was. The same with Rick and Glenn, they all looked out for Beth, she still needed adult guidance being young and sheltered on the farm when the world fell apart.

Cale rolled his eyes at Daryl's stupidity, grinning to himself. _If only he knew what was really going on right under his nose. _He heard all about Daryl's tracking skills and observations; then why couldn't he see what was right in front of him? Beth was practically screaming it out loud, but "all great hunter" Daryl was yet to notice.

"Calm yourself, man," Cale blew him off. "I'd never touch Beth. I couldn't even _imagine_hitting her. What kind of person do you think I am?" Cale scoffed at the irony of the words he'd tossed at the redneck.

Daryl chuckled, "I did just see you fucking Maddie into the ground a bit ago. That was pretty rough stuff. Can't see how she would enjoy it." Cale was about to reply when Daryl slapped at his arm to cut him off. The older man pointed a finger into the brush below them; an eight point buck walked into the clearing. The old boy had some weight on him, the spring and summer had been kind to him. If they could take that buck, it would be enough to feed the group for awhile. Daryl brought his crossbow up, sizing up the shot and squeezing the trigger on an exhale.

Daryl's arrow hit between the third and forth rib, nicking the buck's heart. The big boy loped off into the grass about eight feet and dropped. Daryl breathed a sigh of relief; he was glad he didn't have to chase after his kill too far. He was really over having to spend time babysitting Cale, and he didn't want the blood trail attracting walkers who could possibly get to the buck before Daryl and Cale did.

"C'mon, let's get this back to camp," Daryl groused, climbing down the tree with Cale in tow.

Beth ate until she was full; usually at dinner, Beth was an accessory to Cale. She would eat slowly, laughing at his jokes and speaking when spoken to. She would finish when he did because that was what Cale specified. But today, she was allowed to do what she wanted-she could actually eat her fill. With both Judith and Beth's tummies full, they were falling asleep at the table.

Judith was practically falling asleep in Beth's arms, suckling her pacifier against Beth's chest. Without another word to the group, Beth took Judith up to her cell and put her to bed in her crib. Beth herself turned in for the night, looking at Judith asleep in her crib. Dinner usually happened later in the day when everyone was actually around. Beth slipped off her jeans in turn for sweatpants; sometimes the prison got cold at night.

She lay on her bed, staring at the bottom of the bunk above her. She blinked into the darkness, hoping to quiet her heart and mind. Falling asleep was one of the worst times of the day; she would always be scared that Cale would come and wake her up from a nightmare to bring her into another even if he wasn't here. Beth forced her eyes shut; willing herself to calm down, sleep won the battle shortly after.

What woke Beth in the morning was Judith, like clockwork every morning. Her small cries woke Beth from her slumber, Judith wanted breakfast. Reluctantly, Beth crawled from her bed and tended to Judith. If it wasn't one thing, it was another when it came to caring for someone who wasn't totally independent. Beth just wanted one day to sleep in, was that too much to ask? As Beth carried Judith downstairs, a thought dawned on her filling her heart with dread; Cale would be returning today along with Daryl and the other Woodbury teens from hunting camp.

A shiver ran through her-She wasn't emotionally prepared for another 'meeting' with Cale. Would she ever be? Probably not, unless she could figure out some way to disengage herself from the equation. Beth's body would be there, but she herself would be somewhere else, somewhere safe. Over thinking it would just ruin her day, but she couldn't blame herself. Cale was the one who ruined her life; not the walkers.

Daryl watched as Maddie and Clark packed up the tents. They were lucky enough to bag two more deer the next morning, more than enough to get them through the winter. Daryl had shot all three of the deer; Cale was furious. The hick hadn't given him a chance to shoot at the deer; Cale knew he could do it; he wanted to provide for the group. More than that; he wanted to show up Daryl, prove to the old man that he wasn't the only one who could provide for the group. Besides, he needed to be able to "collect" from Beth, and coming up empty handed didn't work in his favor.

The one thing that Daryl did let Cale do was gut each of the deer, and it wasn't the most glorious of jobs. Cale was elbow deep in guts and blood, some of it streaked across his forehead and in his dark hair. He cut the guts loose from the chest cavity, tossing it in a shallow pit he'd dug last night. There was no sense in wasting time processing the carcass' infield; all it would do was attract walkers. And that was a bad thing, getting the guts out was the number one priority so the meat didn't spoil. Once Cale was done they were going to take off and head back to the prison, that way they could get to processing the carcass' and curing the meat. At the rate Cale was going, they might be able to make it back early.

"How's it coming?" Daryl asked; sauntering up next to Cale, inspecting the kid's handwork with a scrutinizing eye.

Cale shrugged his shoulders. "I'm going as fast as I can," Daryl kept his mouth shut. He would have had all three deer gutted and skinned in no time. It was obvious that Cale had no knowledge about field dressing a deer, but Daryl was tired of dealing with his bullshit. Daryl figured this would be the best way to get Cale out of his hair. "I'll be done soon."

"Better hurry," Daryl drawled. "You're drawing in the walkers." Cale stilled at his words for a brief, but it only made him work faster. It was true; the scent of the blood in the air had started drawing the walkers into the grove. With the combined effort of Daryl and Clark, they had killed five of them since they got up that morning.

Two hours later the guts from the deer were buried and they were on the road. Maddie sat in the front seat with Daryl in the Jeep; Cale and Clark were in the truck behind with the deer in the bed. They were making decent time; they could maybe even be back before nightfall. Two hours later; the prison came into view, the sun high in the sky. Cale was getting antsy; he wanted to get to Beth before Daryl could get a chance to talk to her. Clark could feel something off with Cale the closer they got to the prison.

"Hey man, you alright?" Clark looked over at Cale, seeing the other man rub his thumb across his chin. Something was definitely up, Clark even felt nervous.

"I'm fine Clark, just got a lot of my mind. How about you mind your own fucking business for once?" Cale growled across the cab of the truck, making Clark flinch.

"Okay, okay, I hear ya. Jesus." Clark turned to stare out the side window, wondering what in the hell was going on.

Cale could only imagine the bullshit that Daryl would feed Beth about what happened at hunting camp. Maddie deserved what was coming to her-it was a punishment fuck, not pleasure – even if Cale had gotten off on it. And the marriage thing, that was a joke. But it was a way to rope Beth into this arrangement that Cale desired to keep.

Everyone jumped out of their respective vehicles once they were safe inside the prison's fences and Clark dropped the tailgate of the truck. He and Cale took one of the deer and Daryl took one of the others by himself. Daryl had sent Maddie ahead to get Tyrese and Bob for the last deer. Glenn grinned as he watched them haul their catch inside. "Three deer," Daryl informed him. "One yesterday and two today." Glenn nodded and held the door open to cellblock C as they filed by.

Glenn always liked when Daryl was around; he felt much safer. He liked to think that he spoke for the group as whole when he thought that. "Anything happen?" Glenn asked as he helped Daryl string up the deer to cure. Daryl watched out of the corner of his eye; seeing Maddie wandering off, she was no longer needed. Daryl shot him a look; Glenn had the gut feeling it was something bad.

"We need to have a council meeting tonight about Cale," Daryl said. Daryl and Glenn both turned to watch Cale start up the stairs; they both knew where he was headed. Beth was in her cell playing with Judith, no idea that the group had returned. She thought she still had a few hours to herself, little did she know she was in for a rude awakening.

Glenn turned back to Daryl as Cale disappeared into Beth's cell. Glenn shook his head; Hershel had already reprimanded Cale about going into his daughter's cell alone with her. With what Daryl witnessed yesterday, he was already uneasy about what he just saw. "That bad?" Glenn asked, blowing out a held breath.

"He fucked Maddie right out in the open. Poor girl had her hands tied behind her, face planted in the dirt. She was dead in the eyes Glenn. Her body mighta been there, but she'd checked out. What he was doing to her wasn't right. Then he said that he wanted to marry Beth," Daryl explained, leaning on his crossbow. Glenn paled; it wasn't what he was expecting to hear. He thought Daryl would tell him that Cale was playing around with guns when he wasn't supposed to; Cale seemed to be doing a lot of that lately, much to everyone's chagrin.

Glenn leaned forward, his voice loud enough so only Daryl could hear. "There's another cut on Beth's wrist. Maggie noticed at dinner yesterday, Beth had tried to cover it with that bracelet you made her. You know what happened the last time Beth was into self harm- she nearly killed herself. We're all worried, but we don't know how to help her without alienating her in the process." Glenn finished, crossing his arms over his chest. Daryl blew out a large breath, he'd known something was majorly wrong for awhile now and he wanted to know what it was.

Daryl knew where the problem originated - Cale. He hated hearing that Beth was hurting herself again, nothing good ever came from self harm. Sometimes that self harm went a little too far; Daryl couldn't imagine life without Beth. It would kill Hershel to lose his baby girl, Maggie to lose her sister, Judith to lose the only mother she ever knew, and even as much as Daryl didn't want to admit, it would kill him inside. If only Beth used her words, someone would know how to help her, someone would try. But with Cale around she swallowed any and every intelligent thought she had. No woman should have to live like that around any man, it wasn't a life, it was prison.

"What do you propose we do?" Daryl asked Glenn; his hands working to set the knives out for processing the deer later, his mind on the little blonde up in the cell dealing with that disgusting piece of shit called Cale.

Cale had yet to come out of Beth's cell; Daryl didn't like it. Glenn thought for a few moments at Daryl's question- he had come up with something. "They've been on the same watch night and day. We could split them up. Make it virtually impossible for them to be around each other," he suggested.

It sounded good to Daryl but it would be tough to convince Rick otherwise. The man was satisfied with the way the watches were going. Besides, he was still coming down from his psychotic break with Lori dying. That wasn't something that was easily forgotten.

"We'll bring it up at the meeting tomorrow," Daryl said, clasping Glenn's elbow and sauntering away. Daryl ignored his hunger pangs and smell of dinner cooking as he started up the stairs; eyes set on Beth's cell.

He couldn't ignore the uneasy feeling set in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to give Cale the benefit of the doubt; but he was breaking the rules. He wasn't allowed in Beth's cell without an adult present. He hoped for the best as he approached the open cell door. _Cale, _he thought, _don't make me shoot yah._


	6. The Council Has Spoken

Beth laid Judith down for her nap, watching the little girl suck her pacifier with heavy eyes. Beth envied Judith a little in that moment of watching her sleep. Judith had her whole life in front of her; no man to ruin it, people who loved her unconditionally. If Judith was resting, Beth figured it was a good time to get some sleep herself. She laid down on the bunk, her eyes closing slowly with her head hitting the pillow. Even an hour of uninterrupted sleep would do her wonders with the lack of sleep she's been getting.

Beth woke up with a jolt, feeling like she was suffocating. The hand covering her nose and mouth smelled faintly of blood, her stomach churning at the scent. Beth turned her head knowing full well who had her, seeing Cale's dark eyes burning into her face. She put her hands around his wrist, her eyes begging to be able to breathe, tears almost springing free. She heard Cale chuckle lowly, his gaze darting over to Judith asleep in her crib. Beth's heart sank, he couldn't be thinking of terrorizing the toddler? Beth knew then her rage would boil over; she had no qualms about giving her life to protect Judith. The little girl deserved to live more than she did.

"You listen to me _very_ carefully. I told you I was going to come see you when we got back, and I'm holding you to showing me some gratitude. We're gonna change that up a bit though, it's going to be better for you and me both. Since the kid's asleep, you're going to have to be quiet. If you're not, well, you know what the consequences are. You understand me?" Cale's voice dripped with lust and venom, what the hell had happened out in hunting camp? She couldn't get the image of his twisted grin out of her head.

Beth nodded her head against his hands, relived when Cale's hand came off her mouth and she could breathe again. Rolling out of the bunk with a deep gasp; Beth stood in front of Cale, her voice wavering as she checked to make sure Judith was still asleep. Thank God for small favors. "What do you have in mind? Please don't hurt me anymore." It was barely a whisper, but more than what she thought she could manage.

Cale snickered; pushing down on Beth's shoulder, forcing her onto her knees. The concrete was sickeningly cold. "Oh, I'll get a lot more out of this than you will. You know what I want, so get to it like a good little fiancée'." Cale fisted Beth's ponytail, yanking to drill his point home. Beth's trembling fingers undid Cale's bloody jeans, reaching into his boxers Beth was shocked to find him half hard. She hoped this wouldn't take long, the more she saw of him the sicker she got. This had to end somehow someway before Beth imploded completely.

She wrapped her hand around him, slowly stroking up and down his shaft. Her lips sluggishly wrapped around the angry purple head, Beth gagged at the taste of him on her tongue. Cale gasped; threading her hair harder in his hand, his other hand palmed the back of her head, forcing himself deeper in her throat. Beth closed her eyes, trying her best to zone out as he made the blow job compulsory. Beth tried not to gag, she didn't cry anymore when Cale forced himself on her, there was no point in tears. She was numb and broken after so many months of it. Beth didn't care anymore about herself, she only care about Judith's safety. And if Beth didn't care about herself anymore, why would she cry over the devaluing of her body?

Cale grunted and moaned above her, his head thrown back; his semen shooting into her mouth, his bruising hands holding her head very still. There was no escaping his torture. Cale locked eyes with Beth, his hands applying pressure to her skull painfully.

"Swallow it, Beth. You know you want to. Swallow," Cale growled, waiting for her to swallow him.

Beth broke into pieces, swallowing his seed. He had never called her anything but Elizabeth up to this point; now she couldn't disconnect from him, the horror was real. Now she was a person to him and not a thing. Beth trembled when Cale pulled out from her lips, putting himself back together.

Cale pulled Beth up by her hair, pushing his tongue into her mouth, kissing her brutally. He loved the taste of himself on his woman's lips, just one more thing that added to the rush. She wanted to throw up.

"You're mine. Don't fucking forget." His words were soft but held like steel, as he held her chin in his hand. Beth wished for bruises. She wished that he would leave some kind of mark on her just so the others would ask. There would only be one explanation for it. She prayed God would be kind to her tonight.

Beth nodded, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. She would endure, she would survive, for Judith. That was the only reason she had to live anymore. Beth glanced into the crib, Judith was still sucking her pacifier soundly asleep. Knowing she was still safe, Beth could breathe just a little bit easier.

"What in the hell are you two doing in here?" Daryl roared from the doorway, waking Judith who began to cry shrilly. The pacifier fell from her mouth, long forgotten as he cries pierced the air.

Beth broke free from Cale, glad for the interruption. She rushed over to the crib, picking Judith up and cradling her to her chest. Her cries still did not soften.

"Nothing," Beth stammered. "Cale was just kissing me hello." She hated herself for being the one to make up the excuses when all she wanted to do was scream the truth.

Daryl cocked an eyebrow, huffing as Judith reached out for him. Daryl held his arms out for Judith, the little girl's fingers gripping into his shirt. Her cries drowned down to sniffles as Daryl snuggled her close. Beth wanted to smile as Daryl momentarily melted when he held Judith. She always imagined he would be a great father.

"You," Daryl pointed a finger at Cale, keeping his voice even for Judith's sake. "Get the fuck out of here. I don't want to see you around these two again, you hear me? If I do, so help me God you will regret it. Go on, git!" He sneered at Cale, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder.

Cale smirked at Daryl, this old fuck shouldn't be making demands of him. Cale bit his tongue, stepped out of Beth's cell and whistled to himself down the stairs to D block. He wasn't going to argue with him, he had gotten what he had came for.

Daryl's voice changed gears in a heartbeat, Judith was having her usual effect on him. "Ya ok, Beth?" Beth could feel the concern in his voice, her heart aching. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his chest, scream out what Cale had been doing to her since he arrived from Woodbury and cry. But she knew that if she did that, Judith's life was at risk no matter how strong and commanding Daryl was.

Beth pulled the bracelet Daryl had made her over the healing slice on her wrist, nodding. It had become her nervous twitch. She knew she couldn't keep things from Daryl, especially things like this. She had an intuition about him, he could see right through people as much as they tried to hide it. She wished he could see through her so she didn't have to verbalize the pain and suffering she was going through. But Beth knew things in life weren't that easy no matter how much she wanted them to be.

"I'm fine, Daryl. I just need to get some sleep, that's all. Thanks for looking out for me." Beth plucked Judith from Daryl's arms, the little girl squawking her discontent being separated from her favorite person. Beth needed to get out of her room, needed to get some air, she was starting to feel sick to her stomach – from the lies or sucking down Cale's seed; she didn't know.

Daryl grabbed Beth's arm gently, turning her to look at him. Beth's eyes flicked up to his, jerking her arm free. They were hollow, all the joy drained out of them. Daryl wanted nothing more to put that joy back into them. "I told you I'm fine, please leave me alone."

Daryl watched Beth walk down the stairs, he knew that look in her eyes all too well. His heart hurt for her, there was nothing he could do to help her unless she came to him first. Daryl scoffed to himself, taking the stairs by two's to search out the council members. They needed to have a meeting about Cale tonight, things were not going to improve on their own and he couldn't wait until tomorrow. That was clear as glass to Daryl. They didn't need Beth going off the deep end with her cutting and take it too far. A loss like that would be devastating within the family.

* * *

Glenn looked around at the other council members, Hershel sat in a chair talking quietly with Carol about the prison's ongoing medical needs. Michonne and Sasha were planning a run to the Big Spot tomorrow. Daryl walked in with his crossbow over his shoulder, a look of disdain on his rough features. Daryl pulled Glenn aside, no one else needed to be privy to their conversation just yet.

"I caught em in her cell. Ass kicker was asleep in her crib. She says all they were doing was kissing, but my gut tells me different. He didn't say shit to me when I threw him out and told him to stay away from Beth and Ass kicker. Just pulled that smug grin of his." Daryl spoke so only Glenn could hear him, he didn't want to cause the uproar without getting a game plan in place first.

"So he was just in her cell not doing anything? That's hard to believe," Glenn asked, his face twisting with skepticism. The way Cale had hung around Beth for the last few months was telling, something was going on. No one had a way to pinpoint it though. Cale had no one convinced that he was the all innocent boy he was made out to be when he first arrived.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah, she swears they were just kissing. I got to go with her on it, till I see otherwise." Daryl agreed that it was hard to comprehend that Cale was just in Beth's cell innocently talking and kissing after what he witnessed the day before. Images of Maddie's eyes haunted Daryl, he didn't want to see that for Beth. Eyes always told all for him; and Beth's were screaming.

"I know Daryl and I called you all in here on short notice, and we wanted to thank you for that. I know what I'm about to say won't come as a surprise to some of you and I know it's a tender subject for you all. But I need your input, guidance and direction." Glenn held the attention of the council members, hoping they would lead in the right direction of taking care of the problem at hand.

"Glenn," Hershel's soft voice broke the silence, "I have a feeling I know what this is about. And I've been worried about it for a while, I just didn't know how to break the subject or who to go to. I'm glad you both brought this to the table today." Hershel spoke silently, taking the subject on wisely. He had a way of looking at things from all points of view.

"Hershel, we got to figure something out with Beth and Cale. He's been sniffing around her like a dog on a bone for months now. Today he was in her room, she swears they were just kissing. I know you've told him to stay out of her room. But he ain't gonna listen to you." Daryl felt like he was in school again, tattling on Cale doing wrong. He didn't like it, but it had to be done.

Hershel nodded his head, Carol took his hand in hers, patting gently. "I've seen her sleeping more lately, she's been slowing down with chores. Beth watches over Judith like a hawk." Concern laced Carol's words as she looked at the council members, hoping for an answer.

Michonne spoke up. "She hasn't asked me in a long time to train. I've always been glad to teach her how to fight and defend herself. Shortly after Cale came from Woodbury she's stopped asking to train. She needs to be able to defend herself." Michonne was quiet in the corner, hating to bring the hard truth forward to Hershel.

"I think we should let her branch out more, take her out on runs. Make her train, split her from Cale on the watch schedule. Put her somewhere in the prison that we know she would be safe from him. I don't think he's physically hurting her, we would see it if he was." Sasha had wanted to get Beth out on the road for a while, she thought the girl had potential to gathering what they needed and overlooked on runs.

Glenn took a deep breath, "Maggie and I noticed the other night at dinner that Beth was trying to hide a fresh cut on her wrist with the bracelet Daryl made her. She hasn't done that since the farm. I'm sure there are other cuts on her body in less conspicuous places. We need to figure something out with her, for not only her sake, but all of us."

Glenn watched heads nod as Daryl spoke up, the images from camp still haunting him. "Out at camp yesterday, I caught Cale pretty much raping that girl Maddie. He had her hands tied behind her back, face in the dirt on her knees. She was dead in her eyes, he was fucking her senseless. I pulled 'em apart. She says she likes it that way, but her eyes say different. He says he does it with her so he doesn't take Beth's virginity before they're married. Either way we need to do something about him too."

Hershel snorted, "He thinks he's going to get my permission to marry Bethy, he's got another thing coming. But ultimately it is her choice if she wants to marry Cale. I can't make her do anything she doesn't want to do." Daryl agreed, Beth had always been headstrong.

"Why don't we move Beth and Judith into Daryl's cell? He's got the corner with the most space. Cale would be less likely to go in there than moving her into anyone else's cell." Carol was the one who would understand what Beth was going through the most, having to deal with Ed for so many years.

"Now dammit, I like my quiet space. But if it means keeping them safe I'll share as much as I don't like it." Daryl gruffed, he hated someone in his personal space, but he could make an exception for Beth. Now that he thought about it, Beth wouldn't be disturbing much.

"Ok, so that part's figured out. We'll change the watch schedule. What do we do with Cale then?" Glenn took mental notes as to what decisions were being made, he would be the one to see them through. Beth needed to better as soon as possible and he wouldn't be the one to delay that.

"Let's make him busier than he knows what to do with. Every and any chore he's on it. Take the load off a Beth. Tyreese would be glad to keep him in line, he's dealt with him before in Woodbury. As far as his sexual tastes there's not much we can do about it if Maddie is consenting. We can keep a watch for it going too far, but that's it." Sasha knew Tyreese would know how to deal with Cale and keep him in line, he'd done a good job of it in Woodbury.

"As far as the self harm, let me take care of that. I'll check her over for other things. If she will open up to anyone, outside of family, it would hopefully be me." Carol patted Hershel's shoulder, his aged fingers wrapping around hers. Carol and Hershel had become close working together in the infirmary as well as caring for the library.

"It's settled then. I'll have a talk with her about this supposed marriage arrangement and see what she says. As far as the rest of it, I leave it in your capable hands." Hershel knocked on the table, acknowledging his assent, and the end of the meeting before raising up to leave with Carol. The council dispersed, Daryl heading for his cell to get it ready for the new roommates coming.

* * *

**_Dear Readers,_**

**_Riain here. I just wanted to touch base about the way Beth is right now and her actions vs. her mental state. The situation she is in with Cale is one with grave consequences. Cale has gained this crippling control over Beth through fear intimidation, rape, abuse and terrorization. It has been ongoing and Beth cannot get away from him. If you have ever been in that kind of situation, you would be afraid for your life and those you love (Judith). Beth doesn't want to be the cause of Judith dying; nor does she want to risk the chance, which is why she continues to let Cale terrorize her. People do crazy shit under stress, and it always resolves later. In a lawless world like the apocalypse, people do what they must to survive and thrive, whether it be right or wrong. And the wrong continues to flourish, as there is no one to impede it._**

**_I know its dark, and it's ugly. Trust me, I don't get off on writing it, because I am basically re-living what I survived through Beth. But things like this happen every day outside our doors in real life. I don't write PWP stories, I never have and I never will. I write a story to be a story, not just fluff. And sometimes that story isn't pretty. If you've read my other stories you all know there is some huge conflict that resolves itself somehow, and there's fluffy bunny moments mixed in._**

**_Do rest assured this is one of the last times Cale will terrorize Beth. Resolution is not far off, but with resolution comes repair. I'll let you all draw your own assumptions concerning repair._**

**_I have absolutely enjoyed writing this story with Jerikataryn. She is an amazing writer with loads of potential that I am seeing come through in not only this story with me, but "Hold Me Tight" as well. I look forward to finishing this ride out with her and seeing all your reviews. Thank you all so much for sticking with us and being fans!_**


	7. A Series of Unfortunate Events

Beth broke into a run out of the prison, careful not to drop Judith who was jiggling up in down in her arms, the motion making the little girl giggle loudly. Beth needed fresh air; the small confines of the prison were suffocating her. She fell to her knees against the hard concrete, letting Judith crawl a short distance away to play with a football. The heavy coughing turned into gagging, Beth's stomach twisted and turned but nothing seemed to come out but drool.

Beth wanted Cale out of her body, she wanted every memory and reminder of him banished for good. Beth resorted to the one thing she knew would work: sticking her finger down her throat. She gagged hard; finally feeling the vomit rising up in her throat. Spitting any last remainder of him out; Beth wiped her mouth, searching for Judith. Judith was oblivious that Beth had thrown up, still playing with the football. Happy squeaks noted in the air, the sound making Beth feel a little better.

She leaned back against the fence; head falling into her hands, Beth was exhausted. The sun was beginning to set; which meant dinner would be served soon and she would be on watch with Cale until midnight. Judith crawled up to Beth, patting her palms against Beth's sore shins, she smiled down to her practically daughter. Beth picked up Judith, standing before walking inside.

"Hungry, Beth?" Carol smiled as she entered the cell block again, Beth shrugged. She really wasn't hungry, her stomach was still sour even after throwing up. "I'll take Judith," Carol offered, holding her arms out for the child and graciously took her without giving Beth a moment to protest. With everything going on, Carol figured Beth didn't need to be taking care of Judith all the time. Beth slumped into a chair down at the table with Maggie, Glenn, and Daryl as Carol silently disappeared.

The adults remained silent as Beth pushed her food around on the plate. It was an art she thought she mastered; making it look like she ate when she hadn't, but she wasn't fooling anybody. Beth turned as she heard the door swing open and crash shut, the sound making her jump. She stilled when she saw Cale saunter into C block. "Elizabeth," he greeted, eyes set on hers. Beth felt the bile rise in her throat, she felt sick to her stomach, knowing the others noticed the strained look on her face.

Daryl jumped to his feet; bumping his chest with Cale's, putting a wall between the predator and his prey. "Not tonight, Cale. Go back to your block. Don't bother going on your watch tonight, either. I'll be on watches with Beth from now on," he growled, his nose inches from Cale's. Cale bit the inside of his lip out of anger, the copper tinct of blood spilling over his tongue. This hillbilly was looking to get his ass killed, Cale would love to be the one who did him in. He knew taking Daryl's life would give him a high like none other. Cale's cold gaze flickered to Beth, wondering if she had opened her mouth and spilled it all. Killing Beth's daughter wouldn't give Cale pleasure, but it would cement in Beth's mind that Cale was serious.

"If that's what you want," Cale snickered at Daryl, stuffing his hands back into his jeans pockets and whistling on his way out. Beth visually sagged, letting out the breath she wasn't aware she was holding.

Beth almost felt as if she could eat again, someone had an idea something was up and felt the need to protect her. She could feel the adults' eyes on her, burning against her skin. They all were clued into something now, Beth had to break the tension somehow. The obvious question would work best to break the ice.

"You changed my patrols?" Beth's words came out almost a whisper, her eyes seeking out Daryl's. He nodded, taking a bite of his stew. Excitement pulsed through her veins, maybe she didn't have to spell it out for the prison survivors. They were taking notice that something was up; Daryl did almost catch Cale in the act a few hours earlier.

"Finish up eating and we'll head out together," Daryl said finishing his bowl. He deposited his bowl in the washtub; then leaned against the opposite table, propping his boot up on Beth's seat. Beth was excited; that was a feeling she had thought she would never feel again. Beth shoveled a few forkfuls of stew down; eating a little more than usual, she needed the protein and energy to keep up with Daryl on the rounds.

"Ready?" Daryl asked.

Beth nodded. They slipped out of the cell block into the darkness of the prison yard. Beth looked up to the stars as they made their way to the guard tower.

"Um, Daryl?" She asked. He grunted in response to her, that was his usual response to any question. "Thanks for that back there," she blushed, nervously wringing her fingers together.

He shrugged as they walked. "It's nothing, girl. I just want keep you safe and I know you may not want to hear it- but Cale ain't the best for you." They walked over to the guard tower, Daryl swung the door open for Beth and followed her inside. She lit the small lantern that hung over the edge above the catwalk, the dim glow illuminating their faces. She sat down; hanging her feet over the platform, unconsciously kicking her feet back and forth.

"I know," Beth breathed; leaning against the bars in front of her, resting her head on her arms. Daryl stayed standing next to her, resting his elbows against the railing. He knew better than to say anything, she had something she needed to get off her chest and he wished someone had been there for him when he was in her shoes. The least he could do was listen, it would mean more to her than anything else at the moment.

"It's just hard. There's something about him that keeps me coming back," Beth lied through her teeth. Technically, it was somewhat true, if it weren't for his threats made to kill Judith, she would have told someone what was going on long ago and Cale would have been long gone.

* * *

Beth was almost falling asleep, time flowed so slowly on night watches. Screams broke the night air, Beth jerked away from the railing, scrambling to her feet. Glenn ran up under the tower, catching Daryl's attention. "Walkers in D block!" He yelled up to them, turning quick on his heel to head back into the prison. Beth's eyes widened with fear, if walkers were in the prison, they could get into C block. Beth's heart dropped into her stomach, Judith was in danger with walkers on the loose in the cell blocks.

Daryl grasped her arm, "Stay here, Beth." His demeanor was always calm, like he was made for the zombie apocalypse. Beth wished she had the steel reserve Daryl did, nothing seemed to faze him.

"But Judith!" She gasped, trying to wrench her arm free. Daryl just shook his head, dashing down the stairs of the guard tower, running across the field to C block. It took everything in her own power to stay up in the guard tower, she did need to keep watch while they were preoccupied inside. Everyone had a job, and keeping watch was hers. Beth paced along the catwalk, yearning for Daryl to come back with good news.

It felt like hours later when he finally returned back to the guard tower. In the dim light Beth could still make out the blood spatter over his chest and face. She grasped his upper arms roughly. "Judith? Is she all right?!" Daryl pushed Beth away gently, as to not get her dirty.

"She's fine. Everyone is. But Patrick, he was sick. He died and turned," Daryl said, his blue eyes smoldering in the darkness. "And Cale," Daryl started. Beth's heart hurt for Patrick, the guy was so sweet. Patrick didn't have a mean bone in his body. What was Daryl going to say that concerned Cale? That he died and turned? If that happened, Beth was free and clear, Judith was safe. Beth's heart thundered in her chest waiting for the word on Cale. "He's sick. So is Glenn."

Beth shook her head, deflating. That wasn't what she wanted to hear that Glenn was sick. So was Cale; but that wasn't much of a loss. Beth's world was crashing down around her, her brother in law, her confidant, was sick. "It's spreading?" She asked, connecting the pieces of the puzzle together. Daryl nodded once, his eyes searching Beth's emotions fleeting across her face. Beth didn't know why she did it, but she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Daryl despite the layer of blood covering him. It felt nice to finally have human contact that was nice and gentle. Daryl didn't flinch away, instead he wrapped his arms around Beth, holding her close to him. The strength of his heartbeat calmed Beth's nerves.

Beth pulled away after a minute, she felt better than she had in weeks. Something about Daryl made her feel better; he was the alpha male, the provider and protector.

Daryl looked down at Beth, wiping a bit of blood off her chin with his thumb. "You better now?" He didn't ever show this much emotion with anyone outside Judith, at least from what Beth had been witness to.

* * *

Cale was locked away in A block with the rest of the sick patients. He found it ridiculous that he had to be holed up in here like a prisoner. He had tendencies he had to take care of-Beth was probably out there having the time of her life and he was livid. She belonged to him, she was _his_ property. Cale rolled his eyes; swiping away the sheen of sweat that beaded his forehead, flopping onto the bunk in his cell. The sounds of other people coughing and crying were driving him insane. He had to get out, had to find release somehow.

It had been a few days since he'd seen Elizabeth or her hillbilly fuck buddy Daryl. They had to be sleeping together for the hick to protect her the way he was from Cale. The only person Cale had the privilege of seeing was Hershel and he wasn't keen on conversation with him. Tired of staring at the nondescript walls of his cell; Cale threw his legs over the side of the bunk, ignoring the protesting of his muscles as he forced himself to stand. He peered out of his cell, Hershel and Dr. S were tending to another patient on the opposite end of the alleyway. What Hershel didn't know wouldn't kill him- Cale sauntered out of his cell with a smirk and a small whistle.

* * *

It was the smell that first told Daryl that something was wrong. It smelled of fire and death and everything bad in between. When he found the blood trail, he knew it was even worse. He followed the thick smear of blood outside where he found the source of the smell. Two bodies laid in the cordoned off yard, they were burned beyond recognition. The only thing that made Karen identifiable was the bracelet Tyrese had given her. Daryl couldn't believe it, there was a killer amongst them. Tyrese liked to have beaten Rick senseless in his rage over Karen's death, but Daryl was able to intervene.

The killer still hadn't been found, even after weeks of searching and asking questions of the other residents. The sickness was still raging through the living, the constant fear of the Governor's return, and the fear of a murderer in the midst kept everyone strung tight. In those few weeks, Beth had only seen Cale a few times through the glass of the door of A block. Sometimes she met with Glenn through the glass window of the death chamber; he needed someone to talk to other than Maggie, who cried all the time. Cale getting sick was one of the best things that could possibly happen to her, he was segregated with the rest of the sick in A block. He couldn't touch her now, maybe she would be able to voice what had been going on without worry of Cale making good on his threats.

Judith was napping in her crib in Beth's the afternoon that the walls came crumbling down. Everyone knew what was happening; it was the Governor-he had come for his revenge. Beth pushed through the chaos, running to Maggie, Carl and Carol. Everything was blurring around her, things were moving so fast. She peered through the fence to see her Daddy and Michonne on their knees in front of the Governor. Their hands were bound behind them, it seemed like ages that Rick was down talking with the Governor and his army, trying to come to a compromise that everyone could live with. Lives were at stake, more than just Michonne and her Daddy.

It was then that she felt the rifle being pressed into her hand. Beth looked down and then up into Daryl's eyes; his blue gaze steady on hers. There was something in his eyes but she just couldn't figure out with what was going on around her. She aimed the rifle through the fence, squinting to see what was happening down between Rick and the Governor's army.

She watched as the Governor unsheathed Michonne's katana and held it to her father's neck. She hoped and prayed that Rick could talk the Governor out of what he wanted. They couldn't leave the prison, but they couldn't live with that monster either.

Her world crashed down upon her when the Governor swung back the blade and hacked at her Daddy's neck. The blood cascaded down and soaked through his shirt. That moment triggered a million others. Beth shot over and over again, at living and dead people until she had to run. She ran away from the image of her father dying, of the pain Cale brought her and the months of abuse and rape. "Beth!" Carol called out; looking back to Beth running, "Watch out!"

Beth turned to see a horde of walkers coming around the corner, incensed by all the commotion the Governor had caused. Beth shot again, taking out walker after walker but there was still too many. "Carol!" Beth called, turning back to run, but Carol wasn't there.

Fear spiked in Beth's veins, she started to sprint away but tripped and fell on the rubble from the tank blasts. Beth felt a hot pain shoot through her shin; the blood spilling over and into her boot. In what felt like an instant, Carol was in front of her, shooting at the walkers as they grew closer. "Go, Beth! Get outta here!" Carol yelled, glancing at Beth on the ground holding her shin.

Beth scrambled, scooping up her rifle and pausing to watch Carol fight the small horde of dead. "Carol, come on!" Beth said, refusing to leave her behind.

Carol only shook her head once. "Both of us ain't gonna survive. Get out of – " Carol started, but only screamed out as one of the dead bit into her arm. Beth let out a scream of anguish, she was running with no direction. She had seen too much death for one day. Beth stopped up short where the bus should have been, it was gone. The bus had left, dead laid in its place.

Beth turned the corner to the back of the prison, running into a hard wall of a body. A small scream escaped her lips. "Beth, come on," The solid tone and intensity of the voice caught Beth's attention felt safer. "We gotta go." Daryl rasped as he grabbed her arms to keep her from falling.

They turned and fled together from the chaos of the prison and into the woods. They had to get away from the mob of walkers and the rest of the Governor's lackeys. Beth thought about Judith and how she left her in her crib in the cell, Judith was probably dead. Everything she did to raise Judith and take care of her, blown away like Beth's tears in the breeze for so long. When the gunfire, artillery blasts and walker moans died out, they slowed into a fast walk. "They're dead," Beth whispered, her hands starting to shake. Daryl looked back to Beth trembling, he knew she felt hollow. It was the same thing he felt when Merle died. Her father was gone, her sister was missing, and Judith was probably dead. The only thing she had to be glad about was that Cale was finally gone. Beth looked up and dashed to Daryl; throwing her arms around him, she needed a moment of human interaction. They stood in a clearing in the woods around the prison, catching their breath for a moment.

When the gunfire, artillery blasts and walker moans died out, they slowed into a fast walk. "They're dead," Beth whispered, her hands starting to shake. Daryl looked back to Beth trembling, he knew she felt hollow. It was the same thing he felt when Merle died. Her father was gone, her sister was missing, and Judith was probably dead. The only thing she had to be glad about was that Cale was finally gone. Beth looked up and dashed to Daryl; throwing her arms around him, she needed a moment of human interaction. They stood in a clearing in the woods around the prison, catching their breath for a moment.

As much as Beth willed them, the tears did not come. She had stopped crying a long time ago. Cale had robbed her of feeling much of anything anymore. Daryl wrapped his arms around her thin shaking frame. They only broke apart moments later from the sound of something crashing through the brush, breaking the silence. Daryl raised his crossbow in the direction of the sound. Beth cowered behind him, tired and weary from the day's events. She was shutting down, her body taxed to the max.

Daryl's finger tensed on the trigger, it could be a walker, could be one of the Governor's people. What came crashing through was not what Daryl expected. Cale had come stumbling after them and out from behind the tree. Sweating profusely and bleeding from a wound in his leg Cale set eyes upon the scene in front of him, his anger mixed with elation. Beth closed her eyes at the sight of him, willing herself to not get sick all over Daryl's back. She was home free and now she was stuck in hell again. Cale smiled, blood glistening on his teeth. "Hey, Elizabeth. Daryl. Good thing we made it out alive, right?"

* * *

**Just when Beth thought she was safe... Review please! It means a lot to us! **


	8. Finally Free

**There is a triggering scene in this chapter just so you are aware. **

* * *

Beth's head swam, her vision swaying. She was going to faint. She clutched onto the back of Daryl's vest, willing herself to stay upright. She wanted to tell Daryl about the past months. About the rape, the threats, but she couldn't form the words. They were stuck in her throat. She thought about this moment for as long as Cale had come to the prison. Here it was and she was choking. "Cale," Daryl breathed, lowering his crossbow. _No! _Beth thought. _Shoot him! _"How'd you get out?"

Cale leaned against the nearest tree, taking off some weight from his leg. It had to have been a stray bullet. He'd have to get it cleaned or it would get infected if he didn't die from blood loss. Either way, Beth didn't care which one took him. He deserved both. He coughed, a trickle of blood trailing down his chin. "I heard the gun fire. I'm not stupid, you know. I had half a brain to hightail it outta there," he said. "I got hit by a crossfire on my way out here," he said, kicking his leg out in pain.

His eyes settled on Beth's. He could see it in her eyes that she once thought he was dead. He might have been, if it weren't for her or Carol. The walkers were after Cale when he got shot, almost to him when Beth started to shoot and Carol sacrificed herself. It made Cale exultant inside, the sight of her, the light draining out of her eyes. "So are we gonna get going or what?" Cale asked. "This place is crawling with walkers. My leg ain't doin' so hot," Cale said. He swiped his sweated hair out of eyes.

Daryl practically laughed. There was no way in Hell that Cale was going with him and Beth. He was sick, he was sadistic and he was no good for Beth. "You can't come with us, Cale," Daryl said, raising his crossbow again – the arrow trained on his face. Beth could almost dance she was so happy. But she watched as the anger flared in Cale's eyes.

"What do you mean 'you can't come with us?' You can't leave me here. I'll be walker bait!" Cale said, stumbling away from the tree towards Beth and Daryl. "Are you really gonna be like that?" He asked.

Daryl didn't reply, only kept his crossbow trained on him. "Elizabeth, c'mon. Tell him to take me with you," he said. Like before, Beth's words died in her throat. This time, though, she didn't regret them. There was no way there would be any convincing of anyone. Judith was dead. She had nothing tethering Beth's silence. She pressed her forehead to Daryl's back.

"You bitch," Cale derided. "Everything I did for you, and this is how you treat me?" He asked, face twisting with fury. "I put food on your table. I watched your goddamn baby," Cale disparaged. Beth flinched away from his words. She wanted to add her own accounts of their relationship. _You also hit me. You used my body. You threatened to kill Judith. _

Daryl stepped away from Beth, dropping his crossbow to his side and fisted Cale's shirt in his fist. Daryl threw him against the tree, not caring that he was sick or hurt. "You better watch yer fuckin' mouth, kid. Don't talk ta Beth like that," Daryl growled. "Yer just mad cause she's finally standin' up to yah."

Cale laughed, blood still staining his teeth crimson. "That girl has no spine," Cale smiled at Daryl. Daryl shoved Cale back again against the rough bark of the tree. He didn't care if he was wasting time on this insolent little prick; he was getting what he deserved. "You have no idea, do you?" Cale asked. He wasn't looking for an answer. He was looking to get underneath Beth's skin.

Tears streamed down her face. She wasn't crying for Cale. She was crying for Daryl. Beth knew first hand of what Cale was capable of. "Daryl," Beth called, roping him to her voice. She only hoped it would work. "Leave him. We gotta go. We don't have anymore time. He's gonna die on his own." _Like he deserves. _She wanted to say it, but she would have to explain herself then, and who knows how she would handle that. If she couldn't say it now, when would she be able to? Daryl stilled at the sound of Beth's voice.

She was right. He would die on his own without their help. Daryl let his hand fall from Cale's shirt and turned back to Beth. They jogged away from Cale who was still yelling obscenities at the pair. Daryl had tried for so many months to keep Beth safe; he wasn't about to let Cale come with them, no matter how much he begged. He wasn't sure what he was going to do to Cale if Beth hadn't broken his concentration.

Daryl clasped Beth's shoulder and pushed her gently forward. "You all right, Beth?" He asked as they fled through the forest. She only nodded. The tears made her throat tight along with the unsaid words. There was no use in telling Daryl now. It would only make him angrier. They ran for what seemed like forever. The sounds and commotion of the prison died away long ago.

Their breaths tore through their throats. As they slowed to a walk, it dawned on them that they were utterly alone. Beth was happy and depressed at the same time. She was free of Cale at least, for real this time, but also everyone she had lived with for the past two years were gone. Daryl didn't know what to think. He was taking everything as it came. They took a few moments to catch their breath. Beth leaned forward on her knees and Daryl leaned against a tree.

"I wish we had water," Beth sighed, straightening out. Her throat needed it; it was stinging each time she swallowed.

Daryl agreed. "We'll get it soon. We'll be okay, Beth." Daryl tried hard to believe his words. It was hard to now, they were in the middle of nowhere and he didn't know where they were. He had never been in this part of the woods before. He took in his surroundings. It was all just forest, all blending together. Daryl ran a hand over his face, closing his eyes for a moment. "Beth, I'm gonna look 'round. Do yah think yah will be all right by yourself fer awhile?" He asked, walking up to her.

She had sat down on a log, her rifle propped up beside her. She nodded. She knew it was for the best, but she wanted to be anything but alone. She knew the moment he was gone she would lose it. She could cry, sob even. She needed to get it out. She needed to mourn over her father, over Judith, over Carol. Over Cale. Beth didn't want to do that in front of Daryl no matter how close they were. "I'll be fine. You do what yah have ta," Beth replied.

Daryl looked at her longingly. He was trying to figure her out. He knew there was still something she wasn't telling him. He knew she would tell him eventually in her own time. Without another word, he stalked off into the forest in search of a safe place, in search of water. Once Daryl was gone, Beth only realized what loneliness felt like.

In the prison, she was never truly alone. There was always someone around. She was constantly looking over her shoulder for Cale, or tending to Judith. But now, it was just her and the trees. Beth let her head fall into her hands, the tears starting to flow. She wished she could be the girl she once was. The girl who didn't cry, the girl who could fend for herself. She would never be that person again. Cale had changed her forever.

Beth wished that she went with Daryl or told him not to go. She couldn't handle being by herself, not just yet. But she didn't want to seem needy. That was the last thing she wanted to be. A sound reverbed through the forest; a stick snapping in half. Beth lifted her head out of her hands, replacing it with her rifle. She stood, surveying the land around her.

She didn't think a walker would make it this far after them. They were careful. "Daryl?" She called out, the tears drying on her cheeks quickly. She whirled, hearing another twig snap. It hit her full force then – a hand clamping over her mouth as the rifle was knocked out of her hands. Cale perched on Beth, easily straddling her like he knew so well.

Even Cale was surprised that he could keep up with the pace Beth and Daryl had set. His leg hurt beyond belief, but there was no way he was going to let Beth go without a fight. "Well, well, well, Elizabeth. All alone, are we?" Cale snickered, brushing the loose wisps of hair off her forehead. Beth breathed hard against his hand, trying to buck him off but he was too heavy and she was too skinny.

"Did Daryl finally come to his senses and drop you like the whore you are?" He asked, fingers trailing down her neck and across her breasts, pulling the material of her shirt down. "But more importantly, did you really think you could get rid of me for good? You know I always find my way back to you." He lowered his mouth over her breast, taking her nipple into his mouth and sucking hard.

Beth squirmed underneath him; a scream trapped in her mouth. His tongue flicked around the mound of flesh, his length growing hard against Beth's tummy. Her tears spilled over Cale's hand as he tortured her. After a moment, he pulled back, licking his lips. "Never gets old," he smiled sadistically down at Beth. "Now," Cale started, his hand drifting to his back pocket. "You're gonna sit tight for me. You move, you scream and I slit your throat since your baby is already dead, you hear me?" He asked, brandishing a knife to her neck.

Beth had no choice but to nod against the blade. "Good girl," he smiled and took his hand off her mouth slowly. She had half a mind to scream out to Daryl but she knew she would be dead before he could return. She would have to endure what Cale planned to do. Without a moment lost, Cale stuck the knife back in his pocket, both hands needed for his actions.

His hands immediately went to his zipper, pulling down his fly and his length springing free. Beth wondered what would happen to her if he went through with this. Would she get sick too? Her thoughts were easily forgotten when he ripped her pants from her hips, the material of her panties ripping in his forceful hands. He rammed into her, Beth biting a cry of pain back.

It had been awhile since Cale last raped her. She had evaded him for a few weeks. All that was lost now. He thrusted into her again and again, the tears now spilling freely down her cheeks. Cale possessively kept his hand clasped around her neck, gritting his teeth as he was getting closer to his own pleasure. He could care less about hers.

Only he never got there. A sharp pain radiated through his side as he rolled off Beth. Daryl had kicked him in the ribs. Cale knew immediately that one of them had broken. Beth scrambled away from him, pulling her pants back up. Daryl stooped down to her, making sure she was okay. Or as good as she could get after what just happened. "What the fuck do yah think yer doin'?" Daryl asked, picking up Cale, not by his collar but by his neck.

He tossed him against the tree, his head knocking back against the bark. "I'm getting what I came for, old man, what you can't get," Cale smiled again. Cale thought he was hitting Daryl where it hurt, but he was dead wrong. Daryl drew back his fist and let it fly into Cale's chin.

"This is the last time yer gonna abuse a woman like that," Daryl snarled into Cale's face, his forehead pressed up against his. "The world goes to shit and you think _that's _okay?" Daryl said, incredulous. He threw another punch. Cale's eye had already started to purple and swell. He threw another and another; Cale's head each time rebounding off the trunk of the tree.

Daryl demanded an answer. "You think that's okay?!" He asked, shaking him by the neck, his knuckles whitening around his air pipe. Cale was beyond words. His lips were bloody, he was choking on blood and his eyes were swollen shut, but he was still conscious. That's the way Daryl wanted. He was about to deliver another blow when he heard Beth's voice.

"Stop," she said. It sounded too innocent after what happened. Daryl kept ahold of Cale's neck but looked back to her. Her face was pink and puffy from crying. Her shirt was ripped at the scoop of the hem and the button had popped off her jeans. Daryl could only imagine what had gone on during those months at the prison. She had her revolver raised and aimed at Daryl and Cale. "Put him down," she said.

Daryl's eyes widened slowly. "Beth, this guy is an asshole. A rapist. I'm only giving him what he deserves," Daryl tried to talk evenly with her.

Beth's eyes flashed. "I know, Daryl. I want to do this," she said definitely. Daryl couldn't believe what he was hearing. Beth came closer as Daryl let his hand unwrap from Cale's throat. Cale slumped to the ground immediately – Daryl was the only thing holding him up. Beth knelt down in front of him, Daryl by her side. He wasn't going to be leaving her any time soon again.

He saw the pain and the anger in her eyes. There was more than just this incident between the two of them and Daryl could see it. Beth slapped at Cale's face, his eyes opening and focusing on her. "Look here, dick face," Beth scowled at Cale. He struggled to look through his swollen eyes but he was in no position to be calling the shots.

"Three things," Beth started. She held up a finger, the one in the middle, as she counted off. "My name is Bethany." She held up another finger. "Judith isn't my daughter," she continued. Cale's eyes rolled in his head. Beth slapped at his face harder this time. "Look at me!" She raged at him. He forced his eyes open. "Last thing," Beth said.

She raised the revolver, pressing it to the middle of his forehead, finger on the trigger. "Fuck you," she spit at him. Cale closed his eyes. He knew what was coming. "Fuck you," she spit again. She pulled the trigger, the bullet tearing through Cale's skull. She was finally free.


	9. Fighting The Demons

**Updates on this story are going to take a little longer. Angie (Riain) is working on a book and has most of her time focused on that. This story is NOT over, though! This chapter is heavy and I'm in love with it.**

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Beth was numb, the world around her had faded away. As far as she was concerned, Daryl wasn't standing next to her and she wasn't standing in a forest holding an empty gun on a dead body. All that mattered in the moment was Cale, and the fact that he was dead. She was free! But it wasn't that easy, nothing was ever that easy-she was too far gone. He had raped her body but also destroyed her emotionally. It would be something she would have to work on for a very long time.

Beth had a whole new life in front of her- a life that only Daryl Dixon existed in. With her thoughts drifting back to her favorite redneck, she became aware of his hand on her shoulder. The rough calloused pads of his fingers rubbed against the softness of her shoulder. It was a different touch than she was used to. It was gentle; almost as if it didn't match the exterior to the person it belonged to.

"Beth," he murmured. "Are you okay?"

He knew what the answer would be, but he still needed to ask. He knew there was something deeper between her and the dead boy slumped against the tree. When he saw Cale on top of Beth violating her, he wanted to shoot himself. He had seen the signs clear as day but left it to Beth to figure out. He shouldn't have done that, he should've stepped in and seen what was going on with Beth and tried to help her. Beth hadn't eaten much, she would cower away from people, flinch when touched – he just didn't know the extent of her problems. He knew the signs from his own fucked up existence, he should have known better. Should have done something.

The look in her eyes had told Daryl that Cale had done it plenty of times. Beth's eyes flicked to Daryl, big, blue and brimming with tears. She was coming to the realization of what she had done. The revolver dropped from her hand, landing with a soft thud in the fallen leaves. Beth backed away from Daryl, his hand falling forgotten to his side. She folded her arms around her to keep herself from falling apart, Beth had to keep it together.

Beth broke in that moment and she ran. Tears blinding her vision, Beth tore through the forest away from Cale and away from Daryl. She wanted to escape her problems and the horror of reality that was collapsing down around her. It was hard to breathe, it was hard to think, and she just wanted to get away.

Beth didn't care if Daryl followed her, she just needed to run. Her lungs burned and her legs ached. It felt like hours that she had been running when it was only a matter of minutes. She weaved in and out of the trees blindly until her foot caught on an uprooted branch. Beth fell forward, sprawling out across a bed of pine needles face first.

Her feelings had finally caught up to her, she cried into the crook of her elbow. Beth continued to cry even when she felt herself being lifted in strong arms. Daryl cradled her against his chest as if he was carrying her over the threshold. Beth wound her arms around Daryl's neck and sniffled into the crook of his neck and shoulder. He didn't know where he was going to take her, but he did know one thing-he was going to keep her safe, he was going to mend her back together. Daryl was going to be the person he needed when he was little for Beth. She had already been through the worst, but the healing process was going to hurt like hell.

Daryl had been walking for what felt like hours. Luckily, they hadn't run into any walkers along the way, he didn't have a reason to let Beth go. She was still clasped in Daryl's arms even though her tears had ceased a while ago. Beth kept her eyes shut, listening to the heartbeat underneath the strong chest she had her cheek pressed against.

"We're gonna have to stop soon, Beth," Daryl murmured into Beth's ear.

He watched as the sun descended in the sky through the skeletal trees. He really didn't want to have to sleep out in the open, but they had nowhere else to go. Beth pulled back to look at him, her eyes were still swollen from so many cried tears; it was hard for Daryl to look at her. He knew Beth wouldn't blame him for what had happened to her, but Daryl blamed himself. Daryl helped Beth to stand as she slipped from his arms, her unstable legs shaking underneath her.

"This place is gonna be as good as any," Daryl mumbled. "You should sit. I'll make a fire." Beth sat down on a fallen tree nearby the cluster of fallen trees. She watched as Daryl collected firewood around her, he wouldn't let her out of his sight.

Daryl was quick to build and start a fire with a pack of matches he had in his back pocket. It was probably the only good outcome of being a smoker. Beth stared into the flames as the forest started to darken. Daryl sat down on the other side of the fire, his arms resting on his knees.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" He asked. This would be the only time Daryl would ask. He knew that bottling things up wasn't the best. Look where he ended up; he didn't want that for Beth. She was too sweet, too innocent to be corrupted at such a young age. Being ruined when you were young stayed with you, getting ruined when you were older was easier to come back from. You already had the coping mechanisms in place, but when you're young like Beth, who led a sheltered life, she still had to learn the coping mechanisms.

Beth's gaze shifted from the flames to Daryl. Did she want to talk about it? Was she ready to face the reality of what had happened to her? How would he react when she told him about the months of rape and the death threats to Judith? Slowly, she nodded- Beth trusted him more than anyone else.

"What did Cale do to you?" Daryl asked, gently nudging her forward. He had an inkling, but he had to be sure. He saw the last attack with his own eyes, he was sure it was more of the same, but he needed to know in her own words. Daryl needed that justification for Beth murdering Cale.

Daryl watched as Beth shut her eyes and took a deep tumbled from her mouth, quick in story fashion. "Shortly after Cale had come to the prison, he started raping me. He told me to stay quiet about it or he would kill Judith. I couldn't let that happen, Daryl. I just couldn't," she gushed, her words running together. Daryl let the words sink in. He was angry, but he had to stay calm.

"How many times?" Daryl asked, dreading the answer. The anger boiled within him, Cale was lucky he was already dead or Daryl would have killed him without a second thought.

Beth opened her eyes, tears welling but not falling. "Two or three times," she whispered. "You almost caught him once. When you came back from the hunting trip and we were in my cell," she told him. She didn't want to make him feel bad, but she failed. "He made me do things that I never imagined I would. Not for a while, anyway," Beth said, staring into the flames again.

She couldn't stand to see the hurt take over his face, she could see it plain as day over the flames. "It's not your fault, Daryl. No one noticed. They didn't even notice that I started to cut myself again, either," Beth stated, rubbing at the scars on her wrist.

Daryl shook his head, forcing Beth too look at him again. "That's the thing, Beth. We did notice. You tried to cover it up with the bracelet I made you. I feel so shitty," he groused, running a hand over his face. "We noticed everything. We watched you fall apart in front of us. We knew you were upset and depressed. We knew it had to do with Cale, but nothing like this. We should have done something," he growled. The weight of the situation was crushing him, Daryl wished he had just realized it sooner: he would have just made Cale stay away.

"It's not your fault, Daryl. It's no one's but mine. You don't know how many times I almost told. But I couldn't. I hope you understand," Beth quipped, feeling guilty again. She felt even shittier that he blamed himself. And now it was for nothing; Judith didn't survive in the end anyway.

Daryl stood, walking away from the fire, he could feel his body over heating from his anger and the fire's warmth. His hands tangled in his hair as he paced around the outer edge of the fire, mercilessly tugging at the roots.

"It's not your fault, Beth!" He roared, striding back towards the center of their small camp. "It's not even in the slightest bit your fault!" Daryl threw his hands down to his side. "It's all that fucker Cale's fault. He's the only one to blame." It had gone too far, he couldn't control his anger. The animal within him wanted out, wanted to protect her. Daryl couldn't keep the beast bottled up anymore.

Even if the boy was dead, Daryl wanted to kill him again for what he did to Beth. He had raped her and made her socially unstable. And if hurting her wasn't enough, Cale made her hurt herself. Daryl wondered if Cale knew about her previous attempt to end her life back at the farm. Daryl doubted Beth would have shared that with Cale, doing what he did to Beth he would use it as fuel against her. Beth flinched at Daryl's unhinged outburst of rage. It was hard to believe him when Cale made her believe something completely different for so long.

Daryl shook his head forcefully. "I'm sorry, Beth. I shouldn't have yelled at yah," he apologized; taking his seat again, next to Beth this time.

Beth nudged him with her shoulder. "It's gonna take some time for me to believe that," she admitted. "What really gets me though is that after all of this, after all I did for Judith, she didn't survive." She wrapped her arms around her knees and rested her cheek against her forearm. Daryl could understand where she was coming from, he knew that resentment personally after all he did to try and find Sophia, just to have her end up a walker in the Greene's barn. It hurt deep, knowing that sacrificing your soul, endangering your own life to save another who was never bound to make it anyway. It all felt like it was for naught, even though it wasn't.

"It wasn't all for nothing, Beth," Daryl whispered. He watched the flames dance off her skin, illuminating her face. "If anything, it showed how strong of a person you are. You're a survivor," he praised. "You could have let go, you could have killed yourself, but you didn't." He only realized now how true his words were. He realized now, when he looked at Beth, he saw a completely different person. Where she used to be soft, she was hard. Where she used to be light and happy, she was dark, angry and sad. This was all a part of growing up, especially in the world they now lived in. He just wished it was a little different for Beth, that she had more time to enjoy life as it was before all of this.

Beth shrugged her shoulders, she didn't exactly look at it the way he did. "You don't believe me," Daryl stated, it wasn't a question. "Beth, I know you're hurting. I know you're blaming yourself, because I did the same when I was younger." He took a leap of faith and shrugged off his vest and unbuttoned his cut-off shirt. He turned his back to her so the firelight could dance across his marred skin.

She gasped at the sight of the raised scars on his back, they were deep, angry and numerous. She couldn't help herself from reaching out and touching them, it was a morbid curiosity. Her fingers barely grazed his back before Daryl flinched. He still wasn't used to people seeing his scars, let alone touch them. She drew her hand back, squeezing it between her thighs. "I'm sorry," she murmured, a blush burning on her cheeks.

Daryl shrugged. "S'all right," he said. "What I'm trying to get across is: Beth, that I blamed myself too. I thought it was my fault that my Daddy hit me, but it wasn't. It was him, it wasn't me. It's the same with you and Cale. You did absolutely nothing wrong, Beth."

She let her eyes fall shut again as Daryl quietly redressed himself. She could feel the tears coming, but she didn't want to let them fall. Not after earlier, not after this conversation. Daryl made her feel better, she understood now that she really did need to talk about these things.

"I am a survivor," she told him, leaning her head against his bicep.

He nodded, looking down at her. "That you are, Bethany," he said, using her true name. "Get some sleep, now." Beth pulled back from Daryl and nodded, she felt how tired her body was. She wouldn't be surprised if she slept through the whole night and the next day. She laid back next to him on her side, feeling safe for the first time in a long time.

Now that Cale was gone, she could finally sleep easier. With Daryl by her side, she knew nothing would harm her. Beth finally drifted off to sleep, silent snores drifting from her, quirking a smile on Daryl's lips. Once he was sure she had drifted off, he lifted her wrist gently. The bracelet fell back farther on her wrist; Daryl angled it so the light of the flames kissed the sensitive skin. He rubbed his thumb over the white raised flesh of the self-inflicted scars. He would do anything to heal those scars, no matter how long it took.

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**Where do you think this story is gonna go? Leave a review please! It means a lot to the both of us!**


	10. What Isn't Real

It was early morning when Beth and Daryl decided to keep moving. Daryl figured that everyone would scatter in different directions; the best he could manage was to try and track them. But the signs were just not there for him to follow- there were no footprints, blood or anything to go off of. The only thing Daryl could find was a herd of walkers and their mess of tracks. Trying to pull anything out of that mess would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, nearly impossible and time consuming. Daryl didn't want to waste that much time, especially with Beth being on edge the way she was, it wouldn't bode well.

Beth followed behind Daryl slowly, fiddling with the bracelet encasing her wrist. She was in better spirits today thanks to the heart-to-heart she had with Daryl the night before. Something inside her started to break, something started healing. She still wasn't fully herself; but that wasn't going to happen overnight and she knew that, Beth lost too much for that to happen. She tried to keep her thoughts on other things.

One of her favorite topics was the tattered and dirty angel wings on the back of Daryl's vest. She wanted to run her hands over the appliqués and she didn't know why. The wings were beautiful, they almost seemed out of place on Daryl, but on the other hand, they seemed perfect for him. Even in their tattered and dirty state, they were a mirror image of the man that wore them. He was dirty and broken in his own way, after seeing his scars; Beth wanted to help him heal as well. But for now, he was her guardian angel, he always had been.

Beth's mind avoided all the painful thoughts, locking them away into little compartments deep inside. She didn't think about Judith, her father, Maggie, Glenn or anyone else at the prison. Cale wasn't even a distant fragment of thought; it was like he was just gone. Beth ran through song lyrics in her head, seeing if she could remember the exact words even after years of not hearing them, it was a game to distract her while walking behind Daryl. When she grew bored of songs she started to recall memories from her childhood when she was a frizzy-haired adolescent. That seemed like such a long time ago with everything that had happened in the last few years. Years, that's how long they had been fighting and surviving with the dead. It had been almost two years since Daryl had shown up on the farm. Lori was barely pregnant and Judith was now almost a year old, time had passed so fast that Beth was shocked when she did the math.

Thinking about kids made Beth wonder what Daryl was like as a kid. For some reason she couldn't picture it, she always saw Daryl as a hard but loving adult. He might not directly show love, but it was there if you looked just the right way. He couldn't hide from Beth how he played with Judith, how he looked out for everyone. That was him showing love, in his own unique way. She couldn't separate him from his crossbow; she tried to place him in a school setting – him working on a test, his feet dangling from the chair, not yet able to reach the floor yet. In her daydream kid Daryl clutched a pencil in his small chubby hand, a look of concentration on his face. But it didn't seem to fit him, it just wasn't the Daryl she knew.

Beth half wondered if he even completed high school, not that it mattered but he just didn't seem like the type. Her thoughts shifted then to a memory from her own childhood. It was the first day of third grade and she insisted that Maggie braid her hair in pigtails. She begged and pleaded in her squeaky little girl voice until Maggie finally gave in, just to get Beth to quit pestering her. Beth couldn't wipe the smile from her gapped grin while Maggie braided her long blonde hair. Once she was done, Beth pulled them over her shoulders, twisting the pink hair ties between her painted fingers.

She remembered getting compliments on her hair that day, each of them making her giddy. Somehow, she had made herself feel better, getting lost in the long forgotten memories. Lost in another place and time, Beth hadn't realized that she had to pee. "Daryl," she called, catching his attention. He stopped walking and turned to look back at her. "I have to pee." A blush burned high on her cheekbones. It wasn't because she wasn't embarrassed to urinate in front of Daryl; it was the thought of pulling down her pants. The thought of having to pull her pants down in the woods made her apprehensive; her heart started to beat quicker, and her palms started to sweat.

Anyone could be out in these woods, anyone could see her, and anyone could take advantage of her like Cale did. Daryl lowered his crossbow at the sight of her face. "I ain't gonna watch, Beth, if that's what you're worried 'bout," Daryl said, dropping his gaze. He was almost embarrassed having to voice the thought, knowing why she had that deer in the headlights look.

Beth quickly shook her head "It ain't that," she started. Daryl looked back up to her. She sighed; the words she wanted to tell him just wouldn't come out. "Just turn 'round, please," she whispered. Daryl complied, waiting for to finish her business in his silent way. Beth made her way to the nearest tree, unzipped her pants and squatted. Her eyes frantically searched the area around her for anyone. She didn't understand why she was so terrified of going pee in the woods, she had done it a million times in her life – she just_was_.

After she air-dried for a few moments, Beth quickly pulled up her pants and the zipper. She stalked off past Daryl, wanting to get away from the moment, the tension and anxiety was eating at her. She focused on the sound of her footsteps against the earth, trying to ignore how close Daryl was to her back.

"You ain't gotta be embarrassed Beth. We all piss," Daryl said. He didn't want to sound mean, but it was the truth. Everyone has peed in the woods at one time or another, he'd done it so much in his life that it wasn't even a thought anymore, he just did it.

Beth hugged her arms around her body, it wasn't for being cold in the muggy heat of Georgia fall. How could she explain to Daryl that she was scared? When she went to the bathroom in the prison, she could lock the door. It was a privilege she didn't have any more, at the prison she could lock everyone out and have a little time to breathe. Beth didn't have that now, her eyes fell shut as she answered. "I just don't feel safe," she revealed. "I feel… vulnerable." That felt like the right word to her to get her point across to Daryl. "I used to be able to lock myself away, have a few moments to myself…" Beth said, her voice trailing off to less than a whisper.

Daryl understood then, he wanted to kick his own ass at being oblivious to the obvious. He wanted to slow down and talk about it, but he didn't want to scare her off. She needed to get things like this off her chest before she self destructed. "Beth, he's dead. Nothin' is gonna happen. Not with me 'round," Daryl stated, his voice soft and sympathetic. He kept his eyes on her back, on her swishing ponytail. He wanted nothing more than to be able to see her face, to have some visual check of her understanding his words.

Her shoulders slumped, that wasn't the reaction he was hoping for. Her voice was small in the expanse of the woods,"I've just gotten so used to those moments. And I don't know if that's good or bad," she decided.

Daryl mulled it over, pulling his bottom lip in between his teeth. "I think it's a little bit a both. Given the circumstances, it's bad that yah had to do that…" Daryl started. He chewed on the inside of his lip. "But, it's good that yah learned to deal with it, kinda." The words didn't sound right coming out even to Daryl's ears. Beth understood what he meant for the most part, Daryl usually made sense when he spoke. She slowed down so she was in step with him; there was nowhere they needed to be in a hurry, so what was the point of running to get nowhere fast?

Beth sucked on the inside of her lip, sorting through the thoughts and emotions coursing through her head. Daryl was trying to make her feel better without alienating her. Now that she realized that, she was feeling even worse about it all. Hindsight is 20/20- She should have told Daryl or Rick instead of Carl when it first happened. Maybe none of this would have ever happened. It was all her fault, shoulda, coulda, woulda would eat her alive. Beth couldn't dwell on it; without being aware she began to openly weep. Daryl heard her cries, chills racing up his spine and smacking him right in the face. He never liked the sound of a girl crying – especially not Beth. "What's wrong?" He asked, cupping her shoulder so she would look at him.

Beth shook her head; trying to wipe away the tears, but they were only replaced by more. "I'm so stupid," Beth cried, "I shoulda told yah. I shoulda been brave n' told yah, outted Cale the first day he took advantage of me," Beth clenched her teeth in anger; she refused to look at Daryl and have him see the shame written across her face.

Daryl let his hand fall from her shoulder, disdainfully shaking his own head. In this moment, he absolutely hated Cale more than he ever had before. He hated the way he made Beth feel by what Cale had done to her. Daryl hated that Beth thought she was stupid, useless and a scared little girl when he only wanted to tell her how strong she actually had been and still is. "Don't say that," Daryl urged. "You were doing what you thought was the best for Judith."

"But that doesn't matter anymore, does it?" Beth shot back, her voice was venomous. "She's not alive either way." Beth started to trudge away from Daryl. He knew damn good and well what she was doing; he was guilty of it more than once in his own life. She was running from her problems but Daryl wasn't going to let her off that easy. Beth needed to face the reality of the situation she was in, if she didn't she would never be able to deal with what happened and start the healing process.

Daryl reached out and grabbed her unscathed, bare wrist and turned her back to face him. "That only gives you something to stay alive for." Daryl had finally said it, the words making Beth's eyes widen in shock. He knew the thoughts that were running through her mind, the hopelessness that weighed heavy on her heart. "Avenge her. Cale wanted nothing more than to see you weak, helpless and fragile. You have to be strong, fearless and unbreakable," Daryl's grip tightened on her wrist, Beth quit struggling to pry her arm free when his words sank in. The words hit deep and hard, it was everything she should have been saying to herself but couldn't formulate.

When Daryl felt Beth's body relax, he let go. "I don't think I can do that," Beth wallowed. "I'm beyond repair." Even when she said, it she half-doubted it. The look in Daryl's eyes told her that he didn't even believe it, as far as he was concerned she was full of shit. They had made progress last night, she couldn't run back now. If they could just continue that forward momentum – she would heal, and he would too. Beth never knew that he had scars; he never let anyone see them. She wondered if they were all over his body or just his back, morbid curiosity getting the better of her.

It was then that it dawned on Beth how alike she and Daryl were. They were misunderstood, they both hid their scars away from everyone else. They both kept their pain and anger bottled up inside them until they exploded. Birds of a feather they were. Beth let her eyes fall shut; fresh tears still clinging to her lashes. "We'll get through it, Beth." His voice was warm with emotion; his voice was calming to her frazzled nerves. That voice was the one thing that had broke down the walls that Beth tried so hard to build high around her.

Beth opened her eyes, feeling like she wasn't alone with just Daryl. She felt like there was a dark presence gripping at her spine, she realized then they were not alone. Just over Daryl's shoulder stood someone with their back turned to the pair. Beth reached out and seized Daryl's bicep, her nails digging into the soft muscle. Daryl flinched in pain, his eyebrows knitted together staring into Beth's fear frozen eyes.

"What is it, Beth?" Daryl asked, casting a gaze over his shoulder, following her terrified stare. His body went into full on alert mode, but there was no one there for Daryl to see. The only thing he saw was a dirt trail and trees, there wasn't bug or beast moving near.

The boy turned around slowly-it was Cale. Judith was in his arms, softly cooing and grabbing at his bloodstained shirt. His eyes locked with Beth's, dark and penetrating just like they were when he would terrorize her. A vicious smile graced his lips as a shocked gasp rocked through her body. It couldn't be-Cale was dead, and so was Judith. Beth blinked her eyes again and again, waiting for them to disappear but they remained. Cale let out a loud laugh, throwing his head back in hilarity. His laugh pinged off the trees, echoing inside Beth's head. Beth felt the world start to spin like water going down the drain, not hearing Daryl calling her name.


	11. Author's Note

Hey Readers,

Riain & Jerikataryn here- Thought we would update you all on the current status of "Powerless." This story has been such an amazing time writing together, we both have grown as writers working together. We think we have both learned so much from each other, and have become better writers and pretty good friends.

Right now we are both focusing on stories that are close to our hearts at the stories mean so very much to us both, so we thought it would be okay to put "Powerless" on hiatus until the stories we are working on are complete.

Jerika is working on a spectacular story called "Beside the Dying Fire". It's Bethyl naturally. Beth and Daryl have hooked up with a new group two years after the fall of the prison. Things are a little up in the air with our favorite couple right now, as their new home with the new group at the theme park is a tedious one. Riain's not really sure what is going on with our favorite couple, it's just so well written. It's rated "M" for language and eventual smut. Bethyl fans will love it, it's one of Riain's current faves right now for sure. She always get excited when she gets the notification of a new chapter posted! This newest chapter was a nail biter! Awesome stuff!

Riain's working on a **_VERY AU_** Bethyl piece right now called "Respectfully, CMC Dixon." It's Beth and Daryl of course. The premise of the story is that Beth gets a Holidays for Heroes card from her church and she takes it upon herself to send that service member a box of cookies. Daryl is deployed to Iraq with the Seabees, not knowing what to think when a box comes with his name on it. No one ever sent him anything when he was deployed. This one is really close to Riain's heart as she has been both Beth and Daryl at one point in her life, not only with her own deployments, but her husband's as well. It's a total slow burn of a relationship and centers around their correspondence while Daryl is deployed. They won't be meeting up for a long time, so don't get your hopes up for immediate smut. Rated "M" for language, imagery of life at war and eventual smut.

It is our hope that when these two stories are complete that we will come back to "Powerless" and complete it. But as the story is written and posted now, we could almost leave it as a cliffhanger. We are still discussing what we are *exactly* going to do with it, couple of ideas floating as of now. A hiatus is the mutual idea for now, which is why we are letting you, the fans, know what is up.

We look forward to seeing your continued support of "Powerless", each of us as writers and our respective stories here on the site. Thank you all for being such awesome fans, without you we wouldn't be here writing for you!

Riain & Jerikataryn


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